The Beginning of a Beautiful thing
by Double Decker
Summary: James and Lily finally get together in their 7th of Hogwarts a href"http:www.ntsearch.comsearch.php?qSchool&v56"Schoola of Witchcraft and Wizardry,in the Darkest a href"http:www.ntsearch.comsearch.p
1. Can a Leopard Change it's Spots?

I can't be arse to introduce all the characters in the story coz it makes it really boring, so I'm going to give you their names and who they are hopefully it won't be too confusing!  
  
List of Characters-  
  
Lily Potter, you should know her, auburn hair green eyes, best looking girl in school .

Emma Thornton, Lily's best friend in the whole world, light brown hair tanned skin and bright blue eyes.

Jessica Brown (called Jess by everyone that knows her) dark brown hair and the same colour eyes.

Laura White, Jess' best friend. Long blond hair and dark blue eyes.  
  
These four girls are all like sisters, very close, the best looking and popular in the whole school.  
  
James Potter, you know him! Best looking boy, tall muscular, beautiful smile.. etc

Sirius Black, you know him as well!

Remus Lupin

Peter Pettigrew.  
  
The famous marauders, I was gonna leave Peter out but I'll just be mean to him instead.  
  
There all the main characters, now on with the story…….

"Finally we are here, 7th year students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!" Emma said jumping onto her four poster bed and pulling Lily down with her.  
  
"I know, I can't believe it either!" Lily said sitting up, "and I'm head girl!"  
  
"What a big surprise that it!" Laura said.  
  
"Exactly, and stop banging on about it!" Jess said.  
  
"Do I detect a hint of jealously?" Lily asked getting up and walking over to her bed to put on her PJ's.  
  
"No, it's just you've been going on about it since the summer." Jess said slightly annoyed.  
  
"Sorry I'm just happy." She said jumping over her bed to where Jess was, now wearing her PJ's.  
  
"What are you doing?" Jess asked nervously as Lily stood behind her, then Lily pushed two of her fingers into Jess side. Jess squirmed and tried to get away from Lily squealing and laughing at the same time.  
  
"Lily, I hate it when you do that!" Jess said angrily, she went over to the nearest bed, picked up a pillow and hit Lily over the head with it.  
  
"Hey!" Lily shouted, picking up her pillow and accidentally hitting Emma in the process.  
  
Soon they were all involved in a full blown pillow fight. There were feathers everywhere, you would never have known that this was the 7th year girls dormitory, they were acting like 10 year olds.  
  
"Stop, stop!" Laura shouted over all their squeals of laughter. Slowly the fighting stopped and they all fell onto the nearest bed panting.  
  
"Look at the state of this place!" Jess said standing in the mass of feathers.  
  
"Shut up Grandma!" Emma said throwing a pillow at Jess.  
  
"What did you call me?" She asked swatting her with another pillow, soon the fight was in full swing again!

The next morning Lily woke up and looked around at the blanket of white feathers that covered the floor. She flicked her wand and the feathers disappeared.  
  
"Much better." She said to herself, she walked over the mirror and nearly screamed. White feathers were sticking out of it in every direction. "I need a shower."  
  
She picked up her school uniform and looked at the clock, it was 7am lessons didn't start for a while and it was a Friday so there wouldn't be much work to do today. She left the room and jumped into the shower.  
  
"Where's Lily gone?" Emma asked as she got out of her bed.  
  
"I don't know!" Jess said picking feathers out of her hair.  
  
"Jesus!" Emma said looking in the mirror, she to had white feathers in her hair.  
  
"Emma don't say things like that, it's blaspheming!" Lily said coming into the room in her uniform and wet hair.  
  
Emma smiled innocently.  
  
"Where did you go?" Laura asked.  
  
"Shower, I had to get all those feathers out of my hair." Lily said, she stood in front of the mirror and dried her hair with her wand, and loosely curled it.  
  
"I wish I had hair like yours." Emma said watching Lily.  
  
"Thanks, but your hair is nice." Lily said playing with Emma's hair.  
  
"Whatever you say." Emma said swatting Lily away and getting dressed.

The four girls entered the Great hall the next morning.  
  
"Look Lily there's Sirius Black." Emma whispered in Lily's ear.  
  
Lily rolled her eyes. "You still like him?" She asked.  
  
Emma nodded her head.  
  
"Well we're not sitting with them, if we do James will try and talk to me!" Lily said.  
  
"Oh please!" Emma pleaded giving Lily her puppy dog eyes.  
  
"You know they don't work on me, only the boys!" Lily said scowling.  
  
They sat down at the table and started eating. James caught Lily's eye and smiled at her. Lily gave him a half smile and looked away.  
  
"He's only being friendly." Laura said watching Lily.  
  
"No, he probably want something." Lily said. "I can't believe he's head boy. I thought Remus Lupin would be."  
  
"Hey you don't like him do you?" Laura asked worriedly.  
  
"No I don't like him, I know you do." Lily said.  
  
"Prongs stop staring at the girls, you look desperate!" Sirius said hitting James on the arm.  
  
"I just want to show her I've changed!" James said.  
  
"And smiling and staring at her is going to do that?" Remus asked sarcastically.  
  
"Ha ha!" James said.  
  
"God you really have got it bad." Sirius said.  
  
"Yep, I'm in love!" James said he said putting his hand on his heart jokingly.  
  
Peter laughed.

Lessons that day went quickly, Lily and Emma only had two lessons on Friday, and so they had all the time after break off.  
  
They decided to go out on the Grounds while Laura and Jess went to Muggle Studies. Lily obviously didn't need to take that class as she was muggle born, and Emma spent so much time with Lily that she didn't need to.  
  
They had been given Transfiguration homework by Professor McGonagall after the usual talk about this being the most important year of their school life.  
  
The two beauties sat in the sun writing on their parchment.  
  
"This is a nice sight." Came a voice from across the grounds.  
  
Lily looked up and saw James, Sirius and Remus walking towards them.  
  
"Oh Great!" Lily muttered to Emma, but Emma was blushing slightly as Sirius smiled at her.  
  
"What are you doing here?" Lily asked the three boys.  
  
"We saw you two lovely ladies and we thought that we'd join you and keep you safe." Sirius said.  
  
"Safe from what?." Lily asked.  
  
Sirius just shrugged.  
  
"Where is Peter?" Emma asked, the boys all shrugged.  
  
"Well." Lily said, "I think you have done a good job of protecting us from nothing, so now bugger off."  
  
Emma glared at Lily.  
  
"Fine, come on boys." James said, Lily was astonished to hear him of all people saying this. Normally James would stay just to annoy her.  
  
Sirius smiled at Emma again and got up.  
  
"Sorry to have disturbed you." James said sincerely and he smiled at Lily. Lily couldn't believe what she was seeing.  
  
The boys walked off.  
  
"What just happened?" Lily asked Emma.  
  
"It looks like James is trying hard not to rub you up the wrong way." Emma said rolling up her parchment. "I looks to me like he's grown up a little over the holidays."  
  
"Maybe your right." Lily said rolling up her homework as well and heading off towards the castle.  
  
"You know maybe you should give him a chance." Emma said.  
  
"You only want me to do that so you can spend more time slobbering over Sirius!" Lily said.  
  
"Maybe." Emma said, the girls started laughing as they headed towards the Gryffindor tower.

"I've got my first prefect meeting in fifteen minuets." Lily said checking her watch, "I had better get going."  
  
"It doesn't take fifteen minuets to walk to the library." Jess said.  
  
"I know, I just don't want to be late. Are you coming Laura?" Lily asked, Laura was one of the Gryffindor prefects.  
  
"No, I'll come in a minuet." Laura said looking over to Remus.  
  
"Fine, see you later." Lily said smiling and she left for the library.  
  
She entered it to find James already there.  
  
"Hello." He said brightly.  
  
"Hi." Lily said coolly. "How come you're here so early?"  
  
"I wanted to make a good impression." James said, Lily looked a little shocked.  
  
"Right," she said. He laughed at the look on her face. James looked really handsome when he laughed.  
  
"Shall we go over what we're going to talk about?" James suggested.  
  
"OK." She said and she sat at the table. "Well we need to set Hogsemade weekend dates."  
  
"Yep, I'll talk to Professor McGonagall about that." James said scribbling in a piece of parchment. "We also need to sort out corridor patrol."  
  
"Oh yeah, I think just have people say what shifts they can do." Lily said.  
  
"Right, anything else?" James asked.  
  
"I think that's it for now." Lily said.  
  
"That went well." James said to Lily after all the prefects were gone.  
  
"Yep," Lily said she looked up at James, he seemed different. Emma was right he had changed.  
  
"Lily." James said. "I'm really sorry for that way I've treated you over the years. You are right, I am arrogant."  
  
Lily was taken aback by this but she recovered quickly.  
  
"Don't worry," she said. "You seem like you've changed, and you've apologized that makes you a better person then I thought."  
  
James smiled.  
  
"I really do like you." He said looking into Lily's green eyes.  
  
"I know you do, you tell me every time you see me." Lily said, they both laughed slightly.  
  
"I mean it Lily." James said seriously.  
  
Lily smiled at him, and there was an uncomfortable silence.  
  
"I've got to get back to the common room." James said, "I have to organise Quiddich training.  
  
Lily rolled her eyes as she watched James leave.  
  
He's not that bad. She thought to her self, but then again they do say a leopard can't change it's spots, can it?


	2. A New Friend

James found his first year of Hogwarts going by very quickly, much quicker then any of his previous years had gone by anyway. This year he was being on his best behaviour so he made no mistakes with Lily, he knew that if he tried hard enough she might actually go out with him this year.  
  
"So Prongs my old mate. Full moon tomorrow, getting ready for the fun?" Sirius asked lounging on the sofa in front of the fire in the common room.  
  
"Alas no my old chum Padfoot, I have a heads meeting with the lovely Evans." James said proudly.  
  
"Your not coming?" Peter asked.  
  
"No Peter of course I am, because I can be in two places at the same time can't I." James said sarcastically.  
  
"Oh good," Peter said he obviously didn't get what James had said.  
  
"Peter, sense the tone!" James said.  
  
"Oh right." Peter said sheepishly and all the other boys rolled their eyes.  
  
"It won't be the same without you." Remus said.  
  
"Oh I know you'll miss me, and I'll miss you too." James paused and pretended to wipe away a tear, "but I'm trying to show Lily that I've grown up."  
  
"OK while your sitting in the library having a boring meeting, we'll be having the time of our lives in Hogsmade. " Sirius said.  
  
"Ah no, I'll be sitting in the library having a boring meeting with Lily. There is a difference!" James said.  
  
"Fine whatever, I get it your ditching us for a girl." Sirius said dramatically.  
  
"Yep." James said and Sirius pretended to cry. "Don't worry your still my number one girl Padfoot."  
  
"Oi! who are you calling a girl?" Sirius asked trying to hit James on the head but he ducked.  
  
James watched his friends disappear under his invisibility cloak, he hated to miss one of Mooney's transformations but he had to prioritise things.  
  
He turned and walked up to the library where the heads meeting was taking place. The corridors were quiet, it was about 8pm.  
  
"What's this, the great Potter alone!" Came a voice from behind James. He looked around and saw Severus Snape behind him.  
  
"What do you want Snivellus?" James asked in a bored tone.  
  
"I don't want anything, I was mearly making a statement. " He sneered. "So where are all your friends, have they ditched you?"  
  
"Ha ha Snape, just because you don't have any friends doesn't mean I don't have any either." James said, he turned and started to walk off.  
  
"I've never know you to walk away from an opportunity to curse me, that Mudblood has really gotten to you."  
  
"The only Mudblood I know is you." James said coolly.  
  
"How am I a Mudblood?" Snape asked angrily.  
  
"Well your blood is as dirty as your hair Snivellus!"  
  
Snape pulled out his wand and made a slashing movement towards James, but James moved away.  
  
"Your not allowed to use magic in the corridors 5 points from Slytherin." James said.  
  
Snape made another movement with his wand but James blocked it.  
  
"10 points from Slytherin and detention." James said and he turned and started off to the library.  
  
Wow, he thought to himself, that's got to be the first time I've seen Snape in a deserted corridor and haven't hexed him! God Lily is really getting to me.  
  
"That's right run off to your Mudblood, but I wouldn't get too close to her if I were you, she won't be around for much longer!" Snape shouted down the hall at James' back.  
  
James spun around and started back towards Snape.  
  
"What's that supposed to mean?" James asked as he drew level with Snape and he moved back a bit.  
  
"The Dark Lord is rising, no Mudbloods are safe not even your precious Lily." Snape said barley over a whisper.  
  
Anger flared up inside of James, he whipped out his wand and before he knew what he was doing he had blasted Snape against the wall.  
  
"JAMES!" Lily shouted poking her head out of the library down the other end of the corridor.  
  
"Lily." James said, he dearly hoped she hadn't seen that.  
  
"What the hell are you doing." She sad running down to him.  
  
Oh crap! James thought, "I was being really good and I didn't touch him, then he started saying stuff about you and I got angry, and I didn't know what I was doing before I did it." He blurted out.  
  
"Whatever James, you know I thought you'd changed but I was wrong, your still the same." Lily said making sure Snape was still breathing.  
  
"I have changed!" James said indignantly.  
  
"No you haven't, if you had you would have know he only says stuff about me to wind you up, because he knows he will get a reaction out of you!" Lily said. "Now take him to the hospital wing quickly, the meeting has already started."  
  
"But he wasn't just saying stuff to get at me, he sounded like he was really telling the truth this time!" James said.  
  
"I don't care James." Lily said annoyed, "now get out of my sight, I don't want to see your face anymore."  
  
James watched her stride down the corridor, he felt like he had been winded. Everything he had worked for with Lily had just gone out the window and it was all his fault.  
  
He kicked Snape in the stomach before levitating him. He was careful to make sure he did as much damage to Snape as possible as he walked to the hospital wing. He dumped him on a bed and quickly left.  
  
He sprinted to the library intent on telling Lily how Snape had provoked him and how it wasn't his fault.  
  
The meeting was a very uncomfortable indeed, Lily didn't even look at him through out the whole thing and referred to him as the Head Boy.  
  
James searched for Lily in the common room that night, but she didn't seem to be there.  
  
Great, James thought. I am such a dope!  
  
The next day James didn't see Lily at all in any of her lessons, so he corned Emma at the end of potions and decided to squeeze information out of her.  
  
"Emma." James called down the corridor, she turned and looked at him and Sirius she seemed torn between running to the common room and talking to Sirius.  
  
"What." She said tiredly.  
  
"Where is Lily? James asked.  
  
"Why do you want to know?" Emma asked.  
  
"Because I want to talk to her." James said.  
  
"About last night?" She asked.  
  
"How do you know about that?" Sirius asked.  
  
"Lily tells me everything." Emma said absentmindedly waving her hand.  
  
"Yes, I want to tell her what happened." James said.  
  
"I don't think she really cares." Emma said.  
  
"Why not" James asked.  
  
"Because she had more important things on her mind right now." Emma said.  
  
"Like what?"  
  
"I can't tell you."  
  
"Why not?" he asked.  
  
"Because I can't." Emma said.  
  
"Fine I'll go and asked her." James said even though he didn't know where she was.  
  
"No!" Emma shouted.  
  
"And why not?"  
  
"Because……. Because." Emma bit her lip, then she shock her head. "Get lost James, I'm not telling you!"  
  
Emma ran to the common room and straight up to her dormitory where Lily was.  
  
"Lily." She called softly as she opened to door, she saw a lump in Lily's bed move.  
  
She dumped her bad and books and went over to Lily's bed and sat on the end of it.  
  
"How are you doing?" She asked.  
  
Lily looked up at her, her eyes were red and puffy and her hair was a mess.  
  
"Not good." Lily said and Emma pulled her into a hug.  
  
"Don't worry." Emma said stroking her best friends hair, " let it all out, I've heard school robes make good tissues."  
  
Lily made a noise half way between a laugh and a sob and broke out of the hug.  
  
"You didn't tell anyone did you, I don't think I can deal with any more sympathy." Lily said.  
  
"James was asking after you, he said he wanted to talk about last nigh and he guessed something was up, but I didn't say anything." Emma said.  
  
"Thanks." Lily said and she lay back down.  
  
"Why don't you get some rest, Dumbledore has excused you from lessons for a while so you don't have to worry about work." Emma said as she pulled up the covers around Lily, she was acting like a mother.  
  
"Thanks." Lily said sleepily.  
  
Emma closed the door to the dormitory and stood on the other side, a tear rolled down her cheek. She had never seen Lily like this before, she had cried all day and hadn't eaten anything.  
  
Well, I'd be the same if my parents just died. She thought to herself. Emma sighed and she went down into the common room.  
  
She scanned the room and found Jess by the fire talking to the marauders.  
  
"What's going on here?" Emma asked sitting in a chair.  
  
"Why didn't you tell me her parents were dead?" James asked Emma.  
  
"What? who told you that?" Emma asked James shocked.  
  
"She did." James said pointing at Jess.  
  
"Jess!" Emma shouted at her.  
  
"What he said that you had already told him." Jess said.  
  
"And you believed him?" Emma asked, "you are so stupid!"  
  
"I want to talk to her." James said cutting over the girls fight.  
  
"No." Emma said flatly.  
  
"Why not?" James asked.  
  
"Because she hates you." Jess said.  
  
"Oh." James said hurt, "I didn't know she felt like that."  
  
"Well maybe not hates, but she doesn't like you that much." Emma said.  
  
"But I've tried to change for her." James said, "I've tried really hard."  
  
"Well try harder, and don't try and hit on her now, what she needs is good friends at the moment, not annoying boys trying to get her to go out with them." Emma said and she stood up and left the room scowling at Jess.  
  
That night Lily came down from her dormitory and down into the common room. She had had enough for her bed and she decided to sit on the sofa.  
  
She started at the fire as fresh tears rolled down her face.  
  
He parents were dead, they had been attacked in their house by Death Eaters and the house destroyed.  
  
She had had a letter from Petunia during the day basically just blaming the whole thing on her, how it was because she was a witch that they were dead.  
  
Lily buried her head into one of the cushions beside her as more tears escaped her eyes.  
  
"Lily." A soft voice called from the staircase.  
  
Lily looked around and saw James standing there.  
  
"Go away James, I'm not in the mood." Lily said wiping her eyes.  
  
"Don't worry, I know what happened."  
  
"How, who told you?" Lily asked angrily.  
  
"Jess did, but I made her." James said perching himself on the sofa next to her.  
  
"Here." James said conjuring some tissues and handing them to Lily.  
  
"Thanks." She said.  
  
"See I can be nice." James said, and Lily smiled weakly. "I'll go if you want me to."  
  
"No." Lily said, she wanted him here for some reason. "It's OK you can stay."  
  
James looked into Lily's eyes and saw so much sadness, he opened his arms and pulled Lily into a hug.  
  
Lily didn't have the strength to resist, and strangely actually liked James hugging her, he was strong and being in his arm made her feel safe.  
  
James made to brake the hug, "don't." Lily said.  
  
"OK." James said and he held her again.  
  
"I know this probably isn't the right time to be saying this, but I am really trying to change for you." James said softly.  
  
"I know James, I can tell." Lily said.  
  
"I just wanted to say that I would like to be your friend if nothing more." James said sincerely.  
  
"I would like that too." Lily said quietly, and she snuggled into her new friend and fell asleep.  
  
Thats the second chapter done, please review and say what you think of it! 


	3. Under the Mistletoe

Lily spent the next week in her bed, not crying, she had no more tears left, but just thinking about her life.  
  
A month ago everything was normal, but now nothing made sense. She was only eighteen, yes she was now legally an adult, but she still felt like a child. She had no home, the only things she now owned were in her school trunk. Soon she would finish school and she would be homeless, Emma's mum had said that she was to stay with her for as long as she wanted, and Lily was grateful for this.  
  
She got out of her bed, it was 1pm, she had been in bed all day. She looked in the mirror, she looked a state. Her hair was greasy and she looked like a drunkard.  
  
Right, it's time I sorted myself out, she thought to herself. It was time she stopped moping around and got on with her life. If she stayed like this then she would fail her NEWT's.  
  
She shuddered at the thought of this, she went off to the bathroom and had a long bath.  
  
After a long time of preening her self Lily emerged from her dormitory feeling refreshed.  
  
She had curled her hair so it bounced as she walked, and she felt like a new person with a thirst for life.  
  
She entered the common room, lessons hadn't finished yet and there was only one other person in there.  
  
"Hello James." Lily said sitting next to him at his table where he was working.  
  
"Lily." He said surprised, "what are you doing here?"  
  
"This is my common room too."  
  
"I know, but I mean what are you doing out of bed?"  
  
"I've had enough of that room, I'm getting sick of it." Lily said.  
  
James smiled at her.  
  
"I like your hair." He said playfully, pulling one of the curls down and watching it bounce back up again.  
  
They both laughed at this.  
  
"Thanks." Lily said smiling.  
  
"I haven't seen you smile in ages." James said.  
  
"We I haven't really been in the smiling mood lately, but I'm finished grieving and I need to get on and enjoy my last year here." Lily said looking fondly around the common room.  
  
"That's the spirit." James said, he looked at Lily it was good to have her back, and even better now that she wasn't repulsed by him. He had said that he wanted to be friends, but he still wanted more and Lily knew that.  
  
Soon everything was back to normal, and before anyone knew it, it was Christmas.  
  
"Come on Lily, we are going to miss the train." Emma whined as Lily lugged her trunk down from the dormitory. She was staying with Emma over Christmas.  
  
"Lily?" Sirius asked as he watched her struggle with her trunk. "You do know you're a witch, don't you?"  
  
"I am aware of that fact, yes." Lily said testily.  
  
"Then why don't you do this?" He asked and he levitated her trunk.  
  
Lily just shrugged and let him take it out to the carriages.  
  
The eight of them shared a compartment together on the train. Last year Lily would never have gotten into a carriage on the train with the marauders of her own free will.  
  
Lily arrived at Emma's house, it was in a secluded area so they weren't interrupted by muggles much.  
  
Lily liked this house, but she would have preferred to spend Christmas in her own house, with her own parents.  
  
"Lily are you OK?" Emma asked.  
  
"I'm fine, it's just my first Christmas with out my mum and dad." Lily said, Emma frowned.  
  
"Well lets put our pyjamas on, get some popcorn and watch a film." Emma said, and she ran up the stairs.  
  
"Wait." Lily said running after her. "But you don't have a T.V, or a Video player."  
  
"We do now," Emma said opening her trunk which her dad had brought up. "Mum went and got one when you said you were coming. She thought it might make you feel more at home."  
  
"Thanks." Lily said, she really liked Emma's mum. She treated her like Lily was her own daughter when ever she was here. In fact they were like Lily's second parents.  
  
"Come on get your PJ's on." Emma said. "Your room is next door."  
  
"I have my own room?" Lily asked  
  
"Yeah, well your going to be staying here after we leave Hogwarts, so you have to have your own room," Emma said.  
  
Lily had arranged to stay here until she found her own place to live after school was over.  
  
"Right." Lily said, and she went next door.  
  
Emma and Lily spent the next couple of hours pigging out on popcorn and Ice cream.  
  
"So are we going to the Potter Christmas Ball?" Emma asked.  
  
James had invited her Lily, Laura and Jess to his house for a Christmas Ball his parents were having on Christmas Eve.  
  
"Why are you asking me, he did invite both of us, and Laura and Jess." Lily said with a hand on her stomach, she had eaten way too much.  
  
"I know that, but the only person he really wants to go is you, he had to invite the rest of us so it didn't look like he was asking you out on a date." Emma said.  
  
Lily thought about this for a second, then said. "No we are just friends now." But she actually thought there was some kind of truth in what Emma was saying.  
  
"Come of it Lily, we both know he still loves you ……..and you like him." Emma said.  
  
"First of all he doesn't love me, and I don't like him." Lily paused and blushed. "……… That much."  
  
Every since they had become friends, and Lily had gotten to know James she actually quite liked him.  
  
Emma rolled her eyes. "Will you just hurry up and get together…………… put him out of his misery."  
  
Lily just smiled.  
  
"So are we going?" Emma asked like Lily was her mum.  
  
"Sure, I never say no to a party." Lily said mischievously.  
  
"Great." Emma squealed. "Now tomorrow we have to go to Diagon Alley and get some new dress robes."  
  
"Sounds good." Lily said.  
  
Christmas Eve was soon upon them and Lily and Emma had arranged to meet Laura and Jess at the Ball.  
  
Lily was nervous, hopefully tonight she would be able to spend time alone with James, something she hadn't had very much of, and before they became friends something she didn't want.  
  
"How do I look?" Emma asked coming into Lily's room and twirling.  
  
"Sirius won't be able to resist." Lily said and Emma grinned.  
  
Emma was wearing light blue robes lined with silver, she really did look stunning.  
  
"How do I look." Lily asked and she did a twirl in her emerald green and gold robes. She had loosely curled her hair and taken a bit up at the back.  
  
"James won't be able to resist." Emma said, and they laughed. "What time are we meeting Laura and Jess?"  
  
"7pm." Lily replied making sure her hair was secure. "We had better be going." She said.  
  
"Right," Emma said and they walked down stairs to say goodbye the her parents before apparating away to the Potter Manor.  
  
They arrived outside the gates to James' house.  
  
"Wow, James must be loaded." Emma said looking up at the house.  
  
It was more of a castle then a house, it even had two towers on either side of the building.  
  
"Come lets get inside, it's freezing." Lily said shivering.  
  
They walked with linked arms up to the house and knocked on the door.  
  
James opened it, "Hello ladies, come in." He said.  
  
"Merry Christmas James." Lily said.  
  
"Yeah Happy Christmas." Emma said.  
  
"Thank you, and Merry Christmas to you too, both of you." He said. "Please come through to the Ball room."  
  
"You have your own Ballroom?" Emma asked.  
  
"Where else would we hold a ball?" He asked.  
  
Emma shrugged. "Is Sirius here?" She asked.  
  
"Did I hear my name?" Sirius said coming out of the Ball room.  
  
"We'll leave you two alone." James said.  
  
Lily and James walked into the Ballroom and sat at a vacant table.  
  
The ball room was decorated in gold, with a band on a round plinth circled by the dance floor. The rest of the room was filled with tables and a bar.  
  
"How come you never said you lived in a mansion?" Lily asked as she watched people dance and tapped her feet to the music.  
  
"Because I don't like to brag." He said.  
  
Lily snorted. "You don't like to brag….. And I suppose Filch is going to be the next Minister for Magic?"  
  
"Well he would be good at disciplining." James said and they both laughed.  
  
"Are Laura and Jess here?" Lily asked.  
  
"Yep, Laura is dancing with Remus and Jess is hiding from Peter." James said, and they laughed.  
  
"So do you hold this ball every year?" Lily asked.  
  
"Yep, my parents invite all their friends from work and I invite the rest of the marauders and we pull pranks on all the people from the Ministry we don't like." James said.  
  
"How come we were never invited before?" She asked.  
  
"Well I would have invited you, but there was no point as you hated my guts." James said.  
  
Lily started feeling guilty, they sat in an uncomfortable silence and the band struck up another song.  
  
"Do you fancy dancing?" He asked.  
  
"Sure, why not." Lily said, James smiled at her. It was the smile that made every girl at Hogwarts go weak at the knees, it had never work on her until now. It was probably because James looked particularly handsome tonight.  
  
They stepped onto the dance floor, James wrapped an arm around Lily's waist and held her right hand, while she put her left hand on his shoulder, and they danced.  
  
"Did I tell you, and please don't slap me when I say this but, you look amazing tonight." He closed his eyes waiting for a hand to whack his around the face.  
When that hand didn't come he opened his eyes and smiled.  
  
"Thank you." Lily said, "and you don't look too bad your self."  
  
"You didn't slap me!" James said surprised.  
  
"I know I didn't, but I can if you want." Lily said.  
  
"Noooo." James said and he drew his head away from Lily.  
  
"Don't worry I won't slap you." She said laughing slightly, she felt nervous. Always before when she was around James she knew what to say, normally it was insults or something like that, but now she was scared she would say something stupid.  
  
"So why are there no pranks this year, you said that is what you do every year?" Lily asked.  
  
"Well I know you don't like them, and I knew that you were coming so……" His sentence trailed off.  
  
Lily looked into James' eyes, she saw a longing, probably a longing for her. She had the urge to kiss him, but she hated to be the one to instigate a kiss on someone she wasn't going out with even if they did like her, she decided to settle for a hug.  
  
She let go of James' hand and wrapped her arms around his neck.  
  
James was stunned when she did this but he held her close anyway savouring the feel of having her near.  
  
They heard collective "Isn't that sweet," from the couples dancing around them and they broke apart.  
  
"I'm going to get some fresh air." Lily said and she hurried off to the garden.  
  
James stood watched her leave.  
  
"What are you waiting for?" An old woman asked him who had been watching them, "go after her, it's obvious she likes you."  
  
"What? Lily doesn't like me, she hates me." James said to the old woman.  
  
"Well, I wouldn't be so sure." The woman said and she continued dancing with her husband.  
  
James stood there for a few seconds thinking before going after Lily.  
  
He ran out into his garden, it had been decorated with magical snow that sparkled. It never snowed where he lived so they always used fake snow.  
  
He scanned the garden, it was massive probably a few acres, and he finally found a young woman sitting on a bench swing over by a small fountain.  
James walked over and sat down next to Lily.  
  
She looked at him smiled at him but didn't say anything, then she turned back to watching the water flow out of the fountain.  
  
James started swinging on the bench, he made it go faster and faster before Lily couldn't help but smile.  
  
"Stop." She said playfully.  
  
James stopped. "So….." James said, he didn't know what to say.  
  
"So……" Lily say she was as equally as clueless as to what to say.  
  
James decided to examine the bench for something to do, he looked up and saw something hanging above them.  
  
"Look." He said pointing up to a sprig of mistletoe above them.  
  
"Mistletoe." Lily said.  
  
"Do you know what's tradition to do under mistletoe?" James asked mischievously. "But I won't because I know how you feel and…….."  
  
Lily put a hand over his mouth, even though she hated being the one to start a kiss she knew the time was right.  
  
"You know what they say, you should never break with tradition." She said and she leaned in and kissed James softly on the lips, before pulling away from him.  
  
"You know in my family it's tradition to kiss twice under the mistletoe….." James said and he pulled Lily into another more urgent kiss.  
  
They kissed for a few minuets, Lily liked the feel of James's soft lips and his strong arms around her, James just loved Lily in general.  
  
They broke apart again.  
  
"So, I'd never thought I'd do that." Lily said, smiling. "But I'm glad I did.  
  
"Do you know how long I've been waiting for this moment?" James asked.  
  
Lily shook her head.  
  
"Nearly four years." James said, and he leaned in again for another kiss.  
  
Lily so wanted to kiss him again but she didn't want to seem "easy". She turned her head away from James.  
  
"I'm going to find Emma." She said smiling cheekily and she left James sitting in the garden.  
  
A/N: Lily and James together now, thats all good!  
Hope you are liking, this is the same story that is on Please tell me where to improve so I can make this story better! 


	4. Wolf in the Wood

The next day was Christmas, and James spent most of the morning sleeping until he was rudely awoken by Sirius.  
  
"Wake up! Wake Up!" He shouted as he shook James awake.  
  
"Get off!" James mumbled trying to get Sirius off him.  
  
"No! It's Christmas Day!" Sirius said shaking James even more.  
  
James finally opened his eyes and put his glasses on. With all the excitement of last night he had quite forgotten that today was Christmas Day.  
  
"Why didn't you say that in the first place?!" James asked and he raced Sirius down the stairs down into the sitting room.  
  
"Where are my Mum and Dad?" James asked.  
  
"They got called out on emergency Auror business." Sirius said, "they got an owl a few minuets ago and immediately left."  
  
James raised his eyebrows, "it must be serious if they got called out on Christmas day." James said shrugging.  
  
He loved his parents, but he spent so much time away from them at school it didn't bother him when they weren't at home. But lately after Lily's parents pass away he had begun to appreciate them more.  
  
"So which ones mine?" Sirius asked sitting by the tree and handling all the presents.  
  
"Maybe the ones that have Sirius written on them." James said sarcastically.  
  
"Right." Sirius said and he rifled through the presents more looking for his, James rolled his eyes and went off into the kitchen and made a drink.  
  
Lily and Emma had been up early and opened all their presents before 10am. Lily was slightly depressed at spending her first Christmas without her parents but she put and a brave face, and thought that they wouldn't want her to be miserable.  
  
Lily went into Emma's room, Emma was sitting at her dressing table doing her hair, they were going down to Jess' house to give her their presents, then on to Laura's for Christmas dinner, and then on to James' house. Lily was most looking forward to this, she wanted to see James after last night, she couldn't stop thinking about their kiss.  
  
"Are you ready?" Lily asked.  
  
"No! This hair won't lie flat!" Emma said frustrated smacking her head.  
  
"Don't do that you'll loose 1000 brain cells!" Lily said smiling and coming closed to Emma and looking at her hair. "It's not even bumpy."  
  
"Yes it is!" Emma moaned, "I want to look good for Sirius after last night!"  
  
Emma had told Lily what her and Sirius had got up to last night, it seem she was not the only one to have fun!  
  
"You always look good." Lily said smirking and picking up Emma's light brown hair and doing it for her.  
  
"Thanks." Emma said admiring her reflection once Lily had done her hair.  
  
"No problem, " Lily said. "Now can we get going?"  
  
"Yep." Emma said, "I'm ready."  
  
"Good." Lily said and she apparated away to Jess' house.  
  
They arrived and found Jess and Laura sitting in the kitchen sipping coffee.  
  
"Merry Christmas." They both said happily.  
  
"Merry Christmas!"  
  
"Laura what are you doing here?" Emma asked.  
  
"Oh my parents got called away on urgent Auror business, so I came here." Laura said.  
  
"What's going on?" Lily asked.  
  
"I don't know, they can't really tell me." Laura said.  
  
"Well if your parents aren't at your house where are we going to eat?" Emma asked.  
  
"Um…… Here?" Laura Laura said looking at Jess.  
  
"No way, my Mum can't cook to save her life!" Jess said.  
  
"I'll go home and tell my mum she'll have a few more for dinner." Emma said and she apparated away.  
  
"JESS!" Someone shouted down the stairs.  
  
Jess rolled her eyes before shouting back "WHAT?"  
  
"MUM AND DAD HAVE GONE TO CHURCH………… SO I'M IN CHARGE!" The voice shouted back.  
  
"NO YOUR NOT!" Jess shouted.  
  
There was the sound of someone running down the stairs and a girl entered the kitchen.  
  
She looked just like Jess, they had the same dark brown hair and eyes, except she was taller and older. She was Jess' older sister, Hannah.  
  
Jess had two older sisters Hannah and Charlotte. Charlotte being the oldest, 21, she was on a trip around the world at the moment, and then Hannah 20. Lastly there was Jess, now 18, she had never really gotten on all that much with her sisters. She felt left out, they were closer to each others ages and they had more in common with each other then Jess.  
  
Jess was and always had been, the annoying little sister. She fought with Hannah all the time, but not so much since Charlotte had gone away, and Hannah had no one else to talk to. Charlotte was more mature, but they had nothing to talk about, if they ever talked it was more polite conversation.  
  
"Oh Hello Lily, Laura." Hannah said smiling sweetly at the two girls, it had always seemed that she preferred Jess' friends then Jess. "Emma not here?"  
  
"Yeah, she just had to go home for a few minuets." Laura said.  
  
"Right!" Hannah said, "anyway, Jess, mum and dad have gone out and since Charlotte isn't here I'm the oldest and in charge."  
  
"Whatever, you know you can't control me!" Jess said looking Hannah straight in the eyes.  
  
"I didn't say I wanted to control you, I just said I was in charge, so tell me before you go anywhere so I know where you are." Hannah said.  
  
"Fine." Jess said rolling her eyes, she knew that if Laura and Lily weren't here she would be being a complete bitch, but because they were she was being nice.  
  
"Good!" Hannah said, "well see you later, and Merry Christmas!" She said and she left he room, going back upstairs.  
  
"Anyone want a drink?" Jess asked.  
  
"No thanks." Lily said sitting down at the kitchen table opposite Laura, just then there was a pop and Emma appeared in front of them.  
  
"So what's happening about Christmas Dinner?" Laura asked.  
  
"Well, we can't have it at my house," Emma said sitting at the table, "Dad accidentally set fire to the kitchen!"  
  
"What is he OK?" Jess asked worriedly.  
  
"He's fine but the kitchens not, it is burnt to cinders!" Emma said, "looks like were not going to get fed this Christmas!"  
  
They sat in silence for a moment, then Lily said, "we could go to James'."  
  
"What you want to have a meal with James Potter?" Jess asked like what Lily had said couldn't be possible.  
  
"Well yes, we are friends……….." Lily let the sentence trail off.  
  
"Oh, your more then friends since last night." Emma said smirking.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Well last night me and James got a lot closer." Lily said.  
  
"Oh do tell."  
  
"Well." Lily said and she explained what had happened at James' Christmas Ball last night.  
  
"I have to say Lily, well done!" Jess said after Lily had told her story.  
  
"What do you mean well done?" Lily asked confused.  
  
"Well, you got James Potter, the famous marauder and the boy every girl in school dreams to go out with, to chase you for about four years before you actually went out with him." Jess said like it was simple.  
  
"Well you seem to be forgetting that for most of the time he was chasing me, I actually hated his guts." Lily said a little annoyed.  
  
Jess just shrugged.  
  
"Anyway." Laura said, "hadn't we better ask James if we can have dinner at his house, before we turn up?"  
  
"Good idea, I'll go." Emma said eagerly.  
  
"I'll come with you." Lily said, she didn't fancy staying here with Jess.  
  
"We will see you later, O.K." Emma said and she apparated away before anyone had the chance to reply.  
  
They arrived in James' hall way, and Emma called out "HELLO?"  
  
"Who's that?" Sirius asked from the kitchen.  
  
"Dunno, I'll go check." James said.  
  
"Be careful, it might be death eaters!" Sirius said.  
  
"I don't think Death Eaters would shout out to see if anyone was in." James said.  
  
"Right." Sirius said, "but be careful anyway."  
  
James smiled slightly at his friend and went into the hall where he found Lily and Emma standing. His face broke out into a surprised smile.  
  
"Lily, Emma what are you doing here?" He asked.  
  
"Well," Lily said, "we wanted to know if we could come here for Christmas Dinner?"  
  
"Oh," James said, "sure, I'll tell Betty our House elf."  
  
"That's us two Jess and Laura." Emma said.  
  
"Sure." James said smiling.  
  
"Thanks." Lily said kissing James on the cheek.  
  
"I'll go and tell Jess and Laura to come…… ur… what time for?" Emma asked.  
  
"Five should be Ok." James said not taking his eyes off Lily.  
  
"Right, I'll be back soon." Emma said disappearing.  
  
"So it's nice to see you." James said to Lily.  
  
"And to see you." Lily said smiling at James.  
  
"Sirius is in the kitchen." James said leading her through to the kitchen.  
  
"Lily!" Sirius said getting up and hugging her.  
  
"Oh! Hi Sirius." Lily said surprised by what he was doing.  
  
"OI!" James said, "get off her." And he pulled Sirius away. "I think he found my dad's fire whisky!" He whispered to Lily and she smiled.  
  
"So, what brings you to our neck of the woods?" Sirius asked.  
  
"Well, thee things actually." Lily said, "one, I have to give you're your Christmas presents, two your food, and three James." She said giving James a mischievous smile.  
  
"Oh right I get it, I'll just leave you two alone for a bit." Sirius said winking, and James hit him.  
  
"Emma will be back soon." Lily said, and Sirius' face lit up as he left the room.  
  
"So can I get you a drink?" James asked.  
  
"Um no……….. but there is something else I want….." Lily said suggestively smiling.  
  
"Oh I get you." James said and he slid his arms around Lily's waist and kissed her.  
  
James savoured the kiss, he had been waiting so long for this and it was finally happening. He and Lily were a proper couple………… at last!  
  
"So," James said "does this mean we are a proper couple now?"  
  
"Nope!" Lily said, "I'm actually going out with Sirius….. Sorry!"  
  
"What?!" James asked, both shocked and surprised at the same time.  
  
Lily laughed, "I'm only joking, or course we're a real couple."  
  
James breathed a sigh of relief, "God don't scare me like that, I was ready to go and beat up Sirius!"  
  
Lily just smiled and kissed him again. "Your so sweet!"  
  
The eight of them sat down to a lovely meal prepared by Betty, the Potter house elf that after noon.  
  
"James how come your house elf is called Betty?" Laura asked.  
  
"Well." James said pushing his plate away as he finished. "When I was younger I couldn't pronounce her name so I called her Betty, and it just stuck!"  
  
They all laughed.  
  
"Well James that was delicious!" Laura said patting her stomach. "Hey Remus, are you alright, you have hardly toughed your food!"  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine." Remus said.  
  
"Are you sure you look awfully pale." Lily said worriedly, "maybe your sick."  
  
"No, I'm fine I just have a bit of a headache." He said, and he looked at James with wide eyes as if saying help.  
  
"Urm………!" James said, "why don't we go and sit in the living room, it's more comfortable in there."  
  
They got up and moved into the next room, and Remus took James aside.  
  
"Prongs, you do know what tonight is?" Remus said.  
  
"Of course Moony, don't worry, we'll use the wood like normal." James said, "I'll make sure Padfoot and Wormtail know."  
  
"Good," Remus said and he went and sat down.  
  
That night Lily and Emma stayed over so Emma's parents could clear up the kitchen, they didn't want to be roped into the cleaning up.  
  
They stayed in the guest rooms, and Lily's was right next to James'.  
  
It was probably around eleven, and it was a clear night with a beautiful full moon.  
  
It was strange, she couldn't get enough of James, she just wanted to be with him. She got out of bed and crept next door.  
  
She got into his room and went over to the bed to find it empty.  
  
What she though, where is he. "James" she called out, but there was no reply. She walked over to the window and looked out just in time to see James Sirius and Peter run into the wood that lined the end of the garden.  
  
Lily came away from the window and went into Emma's room, but she was asleep. She didn't want to wake her so instead she went back into her own room, picked up her wand and put on her cloak and a pair of gloves.  
  
She went through the silent house and into the dark, silent back garden. There was an eerie silence that lay over the frost covered grass.  
  
"What are those boys up to?" She asked herself out loud.  
  
Meanwhile James Sirius and Peter had changed into their animal forms and were running through the wood with Moony aka Remus the werewolf.  
  
Full moons out of school were never as fun as they were in, there was nothing near James house for them to explore, but at least there were no people around.  
  
The four of them stopped by a small stream that ran through the wood and Padfoot had a drink.  
  
Moony just sat there scratching himself, when he poked his nose into the air, sniffed, then howled.  
  
James turned to Sirius, this wasn't good.  
  
Lily walked into the wood warily, she knew she was being stupid walking into a wood in the dead of nigh alone, but she was curious.  
  
She stood near a tree and looked around, they were no where to be found.  
  
"I may as well go back there's no one here." She said aloud, then suddenly she heard something, a wolfs howl.  
  
What. She thought, James can't have werewolf's in his back garden, can he?  
  
"Well if he does I'm not going to wait around to find out." She said, and she started walking towards the house.  
  
She walked for a few minuets when she heard something, a growling in the near distance. She stopped dead as she heard something moving slowly towards her.  
  
She turned around and saw a fully grown werewolf standing about ten feet away from her.  
  
She stood paralysed in fear for a second before she turned and ran screaming, and it ran after her.  
  
Lily tried to run away, but she tripped and fell against a tree. The wolf advanced slowly on her growling. Lily tried to shout for help but her voice was gone.  
  
Prongs and Padfoot ran after Moony as he ran through the forest, they left Wormtail behind, he was too slow.  
  
They ran full pelt after him trying to catch him, could he really have smelt someone? Then they heard something, a scream, a girls scream, Lily's scream. Prongs put on a burst of speed and jumped on to Moony's back.  
  
Prongs wrestled Moony to the ground with the help of Padfoot, but Moony was too strong and he threw them off.  
  
Lily quickly scrambled up as the wolf was distracted, she would run but she could never out run it, she thought for a moment as she watched a stag and a big dog fight with the wolf. She had no time to think how strange it was that there was a stag and a dog fighting a wolf, instead she picked up her wand.  
  
She said the first thing that came to her mind. "Stupefy." She said and the spell his the wolf, but did no damage.  
  
"Crap." She said, that was the wrong thing to do. This angered the wolf and it kicked off the stag and deer and ran at Lily.  
  
"Stupefy!" She shouted again, this kind of worked, the wolf stopped for a second and the dog ran and dug it's claws into the werewolf's back.  
  
The wolf howled in pain and turned to the dog and they fought.  
  
While this was happening the stag made it's way to Lily, and she knew what to do. She jumped on it's back and flattened her self on I as it ran towards the house.  
  
They reached the doors of the building and Lily jumped off the stag. She looked at with amazement as it changed into her boyfriend.  
  
"What the hell!?" Lily said.  
  
"I haven't got time to explain." James said as he heard a dog howl in pain, " Get inside and stay there!" he said pushing her into the house, he kissed her on the cheek before turning back in to a stag and running back to the forest.  
  
Lily just stood there looking at where James was just standing with her mouth slightly open.  
  
He had some explaining to do!  
  
A/N: Thats the end of anither chapter, sorry if you think it's moving too fast, but I can't be bothered to drag it out, and I hate it when people are all sad in stories so I there for hate writing about when people are grieving!  
Anyways I hope you like this chapter and please review, thanks to everyone who has reviewed-  
clyana Trivia-Ritz black-fever (thanks for reviewing every chapter! :) ) 


	5. One Turns Bad

James tried to get into the house the next morning as quietly as possible, so he didn't wake up Lily who had fallen asleep at the kitchen table, but he was un- successful.  
  
She woke up when she heard the door close and she bolted upright and looked straight at James, who was trying to run away as quickly as possible.  
  
"Oh no you don't!" Lily said sleepily, but it still had the same effect.  
  
"Good luck mate." Sirius said yawning as he walked out of the room after Peter and an extremely sick looking Remus.  
  
James hung his head and fumbled around until he got to a chair.  
  
"What the hell was going on last night?" Lily asked, she seem so awake even though it was six in the morning.  
  
"Well," James said, he was in a bad position, he didn't want to betray his friends, but he didn't want to lie to Lily the woman he loved. He had tried to talk to Sirius and Peter about it last night but Peter had been asleep, and Sirius had just said do what ever you think is right.  
  
"Well?" Lily asked impatiently.  
  
James took a deep breath. "I'm going to tell you……. But you have to promise not to tell anyone, not a soul."  
  
"…… OK…." Lily said slowly.  
  
James took another deep breath, "well, the reason I can turn into a stag is because, me Sirius and Peter are all……… illegal animangi………. I'm the stag, Sirius the dog, and Peter is a Rat."  
  
"But what about Remus?"  
  
"I'm getting to that." James said, "well the reason we are animangi is because we wanted to keep Remus company during his transformations……."  
  
"What…… you mean……… Remus is a werewolf?" Lily asked shocked.  
  
James just nodded, "that's the reason Dumbledore put the whomping willow on the grounds, to guard the entrance to a secret tunnel we use to get to the shrieking stack."  
  
"But the shrieking stack is haunted." Lily said confused.  
  
"No, the noises people hear are Remus, I think Dumbledore just encouraged those rumours." James said, he rubbed his eyes tiredly.  
  
They sat in silence, Lily just taking in the information she was being told, and James just trying to get his eyes open.  
  
"You know you should never have been out there last night, you could have been killed." James said looking at Lily seriously, he seem different, older, more mature.  
  
"I know I shouldn't have, but how was I to know there was a werewolf out there." Lily said, she knew she should be mad at James, but she couldn't be.  
  
"I'm sorry I lied to you…… I should have told you, it's just that well I promised my friends and I am in Gryffindor." James said proudly.  
  
Lily smiled slightly and sat close to James, "you do know that being an illegal animangi is a serious offence, and so is sneaking out of school." Lily said.  
  
James just nodded and hung his head.  
  
"And I am going to have to tell Emma about this, I tell her everything…And Jess and Laura. " Lily said.  
  
James just nodded his head again. "I understand, and don't worry, I won't tell anyone that we kissed of anything. I'll just pretend it didn't happen."  
  
"Why?" Lily asked.  
  
"Because I know you won't want to go out with me anymore, not after I kept something like this from you, " he said to the floor.  
  
Lily smiled and lifted James head up, "I'm not going to dump you, we have only been going out for a day!"  
  
James looked up smiling, "really?"  
  
"Yes." Lily said and she kissed him.  
  
Wow James thought, most people would flip if they found out that they went to the same school as a werewolf.  
  
"Aren't you scared about Remus?" He asked.  
  
"No," Lily said, "I know he would never hurt a fly as a human, it's just a shame that he has this……… curse….." Lily said.  
  
James grinned, "your amazing."  
  
"I know." Lily said jokingly, "and so are you!"  
  
The rest of the holidays zoomed by, Lily had of course told Emma, Jess and Laura all about the marauders secret the first chance she got.  
  
Laura, being Remus official girlfriend, took it worst of all. But then again if you had found out your boyfriend was a werewolf what how would you take it.  
  
"Well," She said when Lily told her, "he was too good to be true, there had to be a floor."  
  
They returned to school and were immersed in work for their upcoming NEWTS. Lily had already started revising, much to the disbelief to her friends.  
  
"How can you start revising now, I'd forget it all by the time the exams came around!" She said.  
  
January passed and February arrived bringing with it more snow, and of course more work!  
  
"How the hell are you going to pass your NEWTS if your out on the Quiddich pitch all hours of the day?" Remus asked Sirius and James after they came in from a training session early in the morning.  
  
"I can't neglect my duties as captain Moony, Gryffindor will win the house cup again for the fourth year in a row!" James said.  
  
"Here Here!" Sirius said banging his fist down on the table.  
  
Remus just rolled his eyes, "the girls are in the Great Hall." He said as he left with Peter for breakfast.  
  
He walked into the Great Hall and sat next to Laura.  
  
"Morning beautiful." He whispered in her ear.  
  
Laura smiled and kissed him on the cheek, she had been quiet since she found out that he was a werewolf.  
  
"Where's James?" Lily asked.  
  
"He's getting changed after Quiddich training." Remus said.  
  
"God! how can he get up so early and play quiddich?" Emma asked.  
  
Remus just shrugged.  
  
"So Peter how are you today?" Lily asked Peter, he didn't seem to talk much, Lily thought he might feel a bit left out.  
  
"Huh?" Peter asked, he seemed surprised at being talked to directly.  
  
"I said, how are you." Lily repeated as if she were talking to a child.  
  
"Oh……. Um…….. Fine." Peter said, he had never really liked Lily, sure she was good looking but she was muggleborn, enough said in his opinion!  
  
An owl fluttered down to Lily with a newspaper, the Daily Prophet, Lily put some money in its pouch and it flew off.  
  
She unfolded the paper and looked at the first page, on it was a picture of a village with the dark mark floating over every house.  
  
"That's terrible." Laura said looking over Lily's shoulder at the paper.  
  
"I know."! Lily agreed, "but I don't get why he is doing this, at the rate he's going there will be no witches or wizards left!"  
  
"He's doing it," Peter said in sheepish voice, "because he believes all muggle born are scum, and don't have the right to study magic!" Then he added in a whisper so no one could hear him, "and I think he's got the right idea!"  
  
"But that's rubbish!" Remus said, "muggle bourns have just as much right to study magic as the rest of us."  
  
"And not forgetting you know who is actually half blood himself." Jess added.  
  
Peter then got up and left the table.  
  
"Where's he going?" Emma asked.  
  
Remus just shrugged, "probably forgot some homework."  
  
Peter went out into the castle grounds and sat in the snow.  
  
"How dare they talk about the Dark Lord about that!" he said fuming. The last few months he had been playing with the idea of joining the Dark side and becoming a death eater.  
  
He had been approached by Severus Snape, who Peter actually thought was quite a nice person, well he had the right idea at least. Snape had offered him protection, he had offered him a chance to become a Death Eater, to get rid off all the scum that shouldn't be taught magic, those not worthy.  
  
Peter had first refused, but he was coming around to the idea now. You know what they say, if you can't beat them join them, and it was becoming apparent that the Dark side was unstoppable.  
  
"I wonder if the offer is still open?" Peter said to himself, he decided to find Snape later and have a little chat.  
  
Later that night Peter had arranged a meeting with Snape at midnight in the libary, when no one would be around. He had made up his mind, he was going to be a Death Eater, he was going to do the work of the noble dark lord.  
  
Lily and James were doing the late night patrol of the corridors, it was their job being head students, and it was one of the only opportunities they to be with each other properly.  
  
They walked the seventh floor corridor hand in hand, they came to the entrance of the library.  
  
"Shall we check it?" James asked.  
  
Lily yawned and nodded.  
  
James opened the door and walked in, Lily followed and closed the door.  
  
"Do you hear that?" James asked.  
  
Lily strained her ears and listened, she heard the low grumble of voices.  
  
"Who is it?" She whispered to James.  
  
"Don't know." He replied.  
  
They followed the sound, being careful to hide behind the book shelves so not to be seen. They stopped behind a shelf and listened.  
  
"So you have finally come around, I knew you would." Came one voice, it was a mans voice, but it was so quiet that they couldn't distinguish it.  
  
"Well, it would be stupid to resist." Came another voice, it as also a mans, and it sounded vaguely familiar.  
  
"The Dark Lord will be pleased. I will inform him immediately." Came the first mans voice.  
  
Lily looked at James worriedly.  
  
James put a comforting arm on her shoulder and moved some books apart, trying to see who was there.  
  
One of the books fell, and the people went silent.  
  
James forced Lily under a nearby table, quickly following her as a dark figure looked around seeing who had dropped the book.  
  
When he saw no one he turned to the other man and said, "tell no one of this meeting, if you do I will kill you!"  
  
Then the first man left, followed a few seconds by the second one.  
  
Lily and James remained under the table until they were sure that they were gone, and immediately went to the head masters office.  
  
A/N: I HATE PETER PETTIGREW!  
Sorry I just wanted to get that out of my system, but I do hate him, I think I might kill him just for the fun of it, what do you think? Or will it ruin the plot too much? 


	6. Valentines Day

James and Lily reach Dumbledore's office and said the password.  
  
They knocked on the griffin door knocker, and entered.  
  
"Mr, Potter, Miss. Evans, what brings you here so late in the night?" Dumbledore asked indicating to chairs for them to sit in.  
  
James and Lily looked at each other, "you can tell him." Lily said.  
  
"Well, we were doing our nightly patrol, and we went into the library to check it. We got in there and we heard voices, we went to investigate and we came across two men, or boys, talking at one of the tables." James said.  
  
"Right." Dumbledore said, he didn't seem all that surprised.  
  
"They were talking about, you know who, one of them was a death eater, and the other wanted to join them." James said.  
  
"Do you know who these people were?" Dumbledore asked.  
  
James shock his head.  
  
Dumbledore put his head in his hands, and thought for a few moments.  
  
"Thank you for informing me of this," He said, "now get to your common room and have some sleep."  
  
"Aren't you going to do anything?" Lily asked.  
  
"Oh yes, but I can't do anything at one on the morning." Dumbledore said and Lily blushed.  
  
James and Lily left Dumbledore's office, Lily was worried.  
  
"Hey, what's wrong?" James asked as they walked.  
  
"I'm just worried," Lily said nestling her head into James' shoulder. "Voldemort is getting so strong, I mean I thought he would have been stopped by now, but he even has Death Eaters in Hogwarts." Lily said. "And I'm muggle born, I probably won't last a month after we leave school."  
  
"Don't worry Lily." James said looking at her, "I won't let anyone harm you, if anyone does I'll kill them." James said half joking.  
  
Lily just frowned.  
  
"I'll always be there, we'll grow old together, and as long as I'm alive I won't let anything happen to you." James said.  
  
Lily smiled at her boyfriend.  
  
"I love you," she whispered in his ear and she kissed him.  
  
"And I love you too, I always have and always will." James whispered back and he pulled Lily into another deep kiss.  
  
A week later Peter was on his way back from lessons, he was alone as he needed to go the common room.  
  
"Pettigrew." Someone hissed, Peter looked around and saw Snape lurking in the shadows.  
  
He made sure no one was looking and joined him.  
  
"The Dark Lord is pleased that you have joined, he requires you at a meeting tomorrow in Hogsemade." Snape hissed in Peters ear.  
  
"Where?" Peter asked.  
  
"You will find out tomorrow" Snape hissed again and he left Peter standing alone.  
  
"Morning beautiful." James whispered in Lily's ear as he sat down next to her at the breakfast table.  
  
"Morning." Lily said and she gave James a kiss that lingered.  
  
"This is for you." He said, "Happy Valentines Day." He presented Lily with a bunch of Lilies.  
  
"Wow, they're beautiful….. Thank you." Lily said and she kissed James again more passionately then the last time.  
  
"Stop it!" Jess said, "I'm trying to eat."  
  
"Stop being such a spoil sport." Laura said, "it's Valentines day."  
  
"I know that," Jess said annoyed. "I'm going to leave all you loved up couples alone, please tell me when you put each other down!"  
  
Jess stormed from the hall.  
  
"What is her problem?" Sirius asked.  
  
"She hasn't got a boyfriend." Emma said, "and we all have."  
  
"Well she can have Peter." James said.  
  
Lily hit James in the stomach.  
  
"Don't be mean."  
  
"I'm going after Jess." Laura said and she kissed Remus on the cheek.  
  
She went up to the common room and found Jess sitting by the fire.  
  
"Jess are you OK?" Laura asked.  
  
Jess looked up and sighed.  
  
"Yeah…………. Well…………….. no." Jess said.  
  
"Whats wrong?" Laura asked putting an arm around Jess.  
  
"It's ever since you Emma and Lily have started going out with the marauders, you've kind of changed." Jess said. "We aren't like we were before, it's like we don't spend anytime together anymore."  
  
Laura sighed. "Thaks because were in love, well, Emma and Lily are anyway, I'm not sure."  
  
"I know that, but why do things have to change?" Jess said.  
  
"Things were always going to change once we left Hogwarts, it just happened a bit sooner."  
  
"But I don't like it." Jess said.  
  
Laura was running out of patience, Jess had been so sulky lately she didn't know how much more she could take., "well I'm sorry but there is nothing I can say, this is the way it is, get used to it!"  
  
Laura left the room and went down into the Great Hall to finish her breakfast.  
  
Jess sat and watched Laura go, she hadn't be truthful when she said that she didn't like the fact that things had changed, she wanted them to change just not the way they had………..  
  
She stood up, she hadn't meant to get into a fight with Laura, they were best friends. She wiped away a tear that was in her eye.  
  
"Excuse me, are you alright?" A boy asked coming over to Jess from a table where he was doing his homework.  
  
He was a Gryffindor 6th year, Edward Cummings was his name, he had blond hair and brown eyes. He was tall, a lot taller then Jess, all in all he was good looking.  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine." Jess lied.  
  
"Are you sure, I know you just had a fight with your friend." Edward said.  
  
Jess looked at him, "I should be Ok." Jess said.  
  
"Ok then." He was about to walk away when he turned and said, "Um you don't fancy meeting in Hogsemade later?"  
  
"Sure, why not." Jess said smiling.  
  
"Great, I'll meet you in the three broomsticks at about mid-day?"  
  
"Sounds good, see you later." Jess said, and they boy walked out.  
  
Well she thought, at least she wouldn't be alone this Valentines day.  
  
"Hey Jess." Lily called to her waving her over.  
  
Jess moved between the tables in the three broomsticks to where Lily was sitting with Emma.  
  
"Are you alright, you seemed a bit upset a breakfast." Emma asked.  
  
"Laura and I had a little fight." Jess said.  
  
"Right, well she's not here now, she's gone off with Remus." Lily said.  
  
Jess scowled to herself.  
  
"Right, well I have to go, I'm meeting someone here." Jess said looking around the pub and spotting her date sitting by the window.  
  
"Really…….. Who?" Emma asked.  
  
"Edwars Cummings, he asked me out this morning." Jess said, she should be happy that she was going on a date with a gorgeous boy, but she fancied someone else.  
  
"Oh him, he's nice." Lily said.  
  
"Right, well see you later." Jess said and she made her way over to Edward.  
  
Lily waited untile Jess was out of ear shot before she said, "I don't think she remembers that Edward Cummings asked me out last year."  
  
"Why didn't you tell her?" Emma asked.  
  
"Because she hasn't had a boyfriend for ages, and I didn't want to spoil it for her." Lily said.  
  
"Nice thought, but she will be so mad when she finds out." Emma said.  
  
"I know, but James will protect me." Lily said.  
They giggled.  
  
"Where are the boy's anyway?" Emma asked.  
  
"In zonkos." Lily said rolling her eyes.  
  
"I see, they've gone back ot the mother ship!" Emma said and they both burst out laughing.  
  
Lily and James sat in the Great Hall that night having dinner, everyone else seemed to have disappeared.  
  
"I like it when we are alone." James said.  
  
"Well we're not actually alone, there are all these people having dinner here as well." Lily said.  
  
James just smiled, "I mean without anyone else with us, like Sirius, or Emma, or Remus."  
  
"What about, Jess, Laura and Peter?" Lily asked.  
  
"Them as well!" James said.  
  
"Come on lets go somewhere more private……" Lily said letting her sentence trail off.  
  
James' face lit up and he let Lily take his hand and led him out of the hall.  
  
They were just starting up the marbel stair case when an ear splitting scream came from out on the grounds, and scream Lily reconised.  
  
"Jess?" Lily whispered, and she ran through the oak fron doors, James' following. 


	7. The Mark of a Muder

The grounds were flooded in Darkness as Lily and James ran out into them.  
  
Lily lit the end of her wand and searched the ground, and she found two lifeless black lumps mear the lake.  
  
"Oh my God!" She whispered as she ran and threw herself on the ground by the two lump of robes.  
  
She turned one over and found that it was Edward Cummings.  
  
"Who's that?" James asked kneeling next to Lily.  
  
"It's Jess' date." Lily said fear rising up in her, Edward was stone cold, his face twisted in to a look of shock………….. He was dead.  
  
Lily took her cloak off and covered Edward with it so no one from the crowd that had formed could see him.  
  
"Go and get the Headmaster." James said to a third year that was watching.  
  
Lily went over the the next ball of robes, "Please don't let her be dead." She pleaded under her breath as James tried to get the crowd to disperse.  
  
Lily turned Jess over, she wasn't dead, she was just stunned.  
  
Lily breathed a sigh of relif that her friend wasn't dead as Professor McGonagall ran over followed by Dumbledore.  
Lily let them tend to Jess and Edward, not wanting to get in the way.  
  
James was still trying to disperse the crowd, but he wasn't having any luck.  
  
Lily stepped forward and shouted. "Everyone back inside……………… now!"  
  
The crowd made noises as if to say, "like to see you try and get us out of here."  
  
Lily looked at James, then James shouted, "If your not out of here by the time I count to ten then your all in detention!"  
  
"You can't do that!" Came a voice from with in the crowd.  
  
"Oh yes we can we are the head students." Lily said showing them her badge. "10.……..9.………..8.….." The crowd slowly dispersed back to the castle.  
  
"Miss Evans, Mr Potter, what is going on?" McGonagall asked once the students were out of ear shot.  
  
"I don't know." Lily said as they took Jess and Edward up to the castle, Lily'd eyes started to fill with tears as she saw Edwars being taken away. She had been so relieved that Jess was alive that she hadn't thought about him eing dead.  
  
"We just heard a scream and we came out here." James said, he saw Dumbledore frown.  
  
"Lrts get back to the Hospital Wing, and we can talk properly." Dumbledore said, and the four of them walked to the Hospital Wing.  
  
They entered the ward and Lily ran straight over to Jess' bed.  
  
Jess was lying there, asleep. She had various cuts and bruses that didn't show up outside in the dark.  
  
"Will she be OK?" James asked Madame Pomfrey.  
  
"She will be fine, just bumps and scrapes………. I only wish it were the case for this young man." She said sighing. "Have you informed the parents?"  
  
"Minerva is doing that now." Dumbledore said coming forward, "may I speak to Jessica?"  
  
"Oh yes." the matron said and she pointed her wand at Jess' stomach and brought her out of an enchanted sleep.  
  
Jess' eyes flickered open, "you can't talk to her for long, she needs rest." Madame Pomfrey said and she disappeared behind the curtains that covered Edward.  
  
"Whats going on………… where am I………. Where's Edward?" Jess asked trying to sit up, but Dumbeldore put a hand on her shoulder.  
  
"Don't worry, your safe." Dumbledore said, James noticed that he didn't say anything about Edward. "Now you were found unconscious out in the grounds, next to Edward."  
  
"Where is he, is he OK?" Jess asked.  
  
"He's dead Jess, he got killed." Lily said taking Jess' hand, and Jess squeazed it.  
  
A tear fell down Jess' cheek.  
  
"We need to know what happened Jessica, it is important to catching the culprates of his death." Dumbleodre said urgently.  
  
Jess held back more tears, she had only known the boy a day, and yet she was so sad. "Well," Jess said, "we were in the grounds sitting by the lake, just talking about stuff, school, home, that sort of thing………….. Well we were just sitting there and we heard rustling in the forest, he got up to investigate it. He went to the edge of the forest, I to see if there was anything when I saw a figure to his left. It was wearing black robes, and it had a hood up, he was quite short, and a little fat, but that was all I could see." Jess stopped and tears flowed freely down her face, she sobbed sliently for a few minuets before she could stem the flow of tears, and continued. "It was a death eater I think, I called out to Edward, but he was too slow and the death eater hit him with the killing curse, he just fell to the ground with a loud thud, and I froze, and so did the death eater. Then he turned to me, and he walked towards me, I couldn't do anything so I tried running but my feet wouldn't work. I just screamed, and he said "Shut up!". Then he stunned me, and I blacked out. I don't know what happened after that."  
  
Lily got up and hugged her friend tightly, Jess was shaking in what she supposed was shock.  
  
"Can I see Edward?" Jess asked. "I know I bearly knew him, but he was so nice, I really liked him."  
  
"Maybe when you have rested." Dumbledore said, "we'll leave you alone."  
  
Lily hugged Jess again before leaving with James.  
  
Once out of the Hospital Wing James wrapped his arms around Lily and hugged her tightly, Lily put her head on James' shouler and enjoyed the safe feeling she got when she was near James.  
  
Peter Pettigrew sat on his bed in his dormitory, rocking back and forward.  
  
What had he done!  
  
He scratched his forarm, it had been burning ever since he had done it, but he just ignored it.  
  
It gave out another painful throb.  
  
"AH!." Peter said and he clutched his arm.  
  
How could I have been so stupid? He thought to himself, what did I do it? He put his head into his hands.  
  
Today he had attended his first Death eater meeting, he had been given his robes, and the Dark mark. It was discusting, a big black scull with a snake protruding from it's mouth.  
  
He his his head, what had he done it? He had met the Dark Lord, and he had told Peter what would happen if he told anyone about what he was now. And to make sure that he got it he had tourtered him with one of the unforgivable curses.  
  
Now there was no going back not after what he had done. He had to stick to the decision that he made when he was angry with his friends.  
  
Well, said a voice in his head, your friends will never know what you are doing, and you are working for the winning side, the side with the right ideas. You are the clever one to join the Dark Side you will be fighting for the nobel side.  
  
But I had to kill, I had to muder, another voice said.  
  
So, he was a mud blood, he didn't diserve to live, he was scum!  
  
But I knew the girl, I know Jess, she isn't a mud blood, she is beautiful and intelligent, she's a half blood.  
  
She's nearly as bad. She the voice in his head again, it was a battle of two wills.  
  
But I like Jess, she is more then a friend, I like her as more then a friend.  
  
"Get your self together." Peter said outlound, "No one will know about this."  
  
He opened his hangings and went over to his trunk and stuffed his black robes in to it.  
  
He pulled down his sleeves to hide the Dark Mark, the mark of a real wizard, and left the room pushing the images of the mudblood falling to the ground, and the girl he loved screaming.  
  
He tried to forget about the fact the he had killed Edwars Cummings, but he couldn't, however hard he tried he couldn't forget that he was a cold blooded murder.  
  
Thank you for the reviews so far, and keep them comming.  
I have decided against killing Peter, for now, but I might just embarrass him badly! Hahahahahahaha I should get some more chapters posted soon coz it's half term, so no school for a week! yyyyyyyyyeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeessssssssssssss! 


	8. Punishment

Rumours were spreading around the school like wildfire after what happened out on the grounds, with many saying that Jess had killed Edward, and some even said that Voldemort himself had been on the grounds.  
  
Dumbledore had called an emergency prefects meeting the next morning and had briefed them on what was going to happen.  
  
"We have Aurors situated on all gates around the school to stop anyone unauthorised to enter, or leave the grounds." He told all the prefects around the table in the prefects common room. "All Hogsemade trips have been cancelled for the rest of the year." A small groan went around the table when he said this. "All classes with be escorted to and from lessons by a teacher, and all students will be confined to their common rooms after 7pm, except prefects who will be required to patrol the corridors in shifts. I have had a rota drawn up which tells you when you should be patrolling and who with, this will be left on the notice board. If you are on patrol and you find anyone out of their common room with out a teacher then they will receive detention, and five points taken from their house, is that all clear?"  
  
A murmur of assent went around the table.  
  
"Excuse me sir, but what exactly happened?" Asked a Hufflepuff fifth year.  
  
Dumbledore sighed, "well, last night a student was killed on the grounds by a Death Eater."  
  
"Who?"  
  
"His name was Edward Cummings." Dumbledore said, "but please no more questions, I will be holding a whole school assembly this morning, and I will talk to the whole school. Now please go and get some breakfast."  
  
Whenever they weren't in lessons that day, Lily, Emma and Laura were in the Hospital Wing with Jess. This did annoy Madame Pomfrey, and she had told them that there was no point in them coming around so often as she would be out in a few hours anyway.  
  
They took no notice of this however and still sat at her bedside for as long as they could before getting kicked out.  
  
They told Jess all about the new security measures being put on the school, but she didn't really care, she seemed traumatised by the whole thing. But then again she had watched someone die and that leaves some effect.  
  
Jess was let out of the hospital wing, and she was a sort of celebrity in Hogwarts.  
  
Everyone rushed up to her when she entered the common room and begun bombarding her with questions. Lily had to threaten them with detention to make them stop.  
  
Jess just sat in the common room with Emma, Sirius and Peter that night, just listening to the conversation rather then joining in.  
  
"So what's everyone doing for practical week?" Emma asked the group at large.  
  
"Is that next week?" Sirius asked.  
  
"Yes, it is next week, you should know with all the teachers banging on about it!" Emma said.  
  
Practical week, was one week that seventh years went out into the magical world and experienced what their chosen careers would be like. I was just like the muggle work experience, except with wizarding jobs.  
  
"Flip, I completely forgot about that!" Sirius said.  
  
Emma rolled her eyes, "God what are you like!"  
  
"Well, I'm tall, dark haired and extremely handsome." Sirius said smiling cheekily.  
  
Emma couldn't help but smile at this, and she gave Sirius a good long kiss.  
  
"I'm going to bed." Jess said when she couldn't take anymore of Emma and Sirius getting off with each other.  
  
"Oh, do you want me to come?" Emma asked.  
  
"No, your alright." Jess said and she walked away.  
  
"What were you going to go to bed with her?" Sirius asked hopefully.  
  
"No, not get into the same bed, I just meant keep her company." Emma said, "you dirty minded thing!"  
  
Sirius shrugged, "I'm not going to deny it, I am!"  
  
Peter laughed, but he quickly stopped.  
  
His dark mark started burning, he resisted the urge to shout out in pain.  
  
Why now, he couldn't get out of the castle even if he wanted to. He had been ignoring his mark all day when it had been burning non stop.  
  
"Are you alright Wormtail?" Sirius asked.  
  
"Um, yeah, just tired. I'm going to bed." Peter said, and he escaped before Sirius could stop him.  
  
He went to his dormitory and got ready for bed, even though he wasn't tired at all. He climbed into bed and closed his eyes, and quickly opened them again.  
  
He had seen the image of the mud blood he'd killed again, he knew he wouldn't be the first to die, he knew that once he had left Hogwarts many others would die at his hand. He would get used to the guilt that he felt.  
  
He slowly drifted off into an uneasy sleep.  
  
He dreamt that he was in a cold, dark grey room. Except it wasn't a dream, it felt real. He could feel the cold and the damp, and he shivered.  
  
"Pettigrew!" Came a high shrill cold voice.  
  
Peter jumped and whimpered.  
  
"Why have you not been answering my calls?" Came Voldemort's voice from a high backed chair behind Peter.  
  
"Um………… well……….. I couldn't get out of the grounds to apparate to you my lord." Peter whimpered bowing as far down as he could.  
  
"That isn't good enough, you should have come the moment you committed the deed." He growled.  
  
"I'm sorry my lord." Peter said in a small voice keeping his eyes down.  
  
"Look at me when I'm talking to you!" Voldemort roared.  
  
Peter lifted his eyes off the floor and looked at Voldemort.  
  
Voldemort started into his eyes for a few minuets.  
  
"You will never ignore me again, do I make myself clear?" Voldemort asked in a dangerous whisper.  
  
Peter nodded.  
  
"Answer me!" Voldemort shouted.  
  
"Yes my lord." Peter whimpered.  
  
"And if I find out that you have told anyone about what you have become, epically your friends or Dumbledore, I will kill you, then your family, and them your friends. I will make it epically painful for the girl that you seem to love, this Jessica." His lip curled.  
  
How did he know? Peter thought through all his fear. "I won't tell anyone my lord, not a soul."  
  
"Now, you must be punished." Voldemort said lifting his wand. "This will teach you to be a more obedient servant. Crucio."  
  
Peter fell to the floor squirming in pain. He felt thousands of knives stabbing him all around his body, he just wanted it to end, he just wanted to die.  
  
"Peter!" Someone said shaking him awake.  
  
He opened his eyes and found himself not in the dark room that he was in before, but in his bed with three worried faces poking through the hangings.  
  
"Are you alright mate?" Sirius asked.  
  
"Um……… yeah, I'm fine." He said and the faces disappeared.  
  
He lay for a minuet thinking, that wasn't just a dream, it was more then that. But how had he been transported from one place to another, and how had his master know what he was feeling. How did he know that he loved Jessica, he didn't even know that he loved her. He just thought that he liked her………… a lot.  
  
The four girls sat in their dormitory together later that day. It was a Saturday, so no lessons, and Lily and Laura weren't needed on patrol until later.  
  
They weren't spending their time with the boys, as they didn't want to alienate Jess.  
  
"How long is it to exams now?" Emma asked.  
  
"About four months." Lily said.  
  
"God, just think, this time next year we will probably have jobs and homes." Laura said.  
  
"Where are we going to live?" Emma asked, "we can't stay at home."  
  
"We are all going to live together, you know like we said before. We can but a flat, or a small house between us." Lily said.  
  
"I thought that you would all move in with your boyfriends." Jess said joining the conversation for the first time.  
  
"Well……… no. I don't want to live with James right away." Lily said thoughtfully. "I mean what if his feet smell really bad, or he burps a lot, or he might snore! I couldn't live with that." Jess smiled.  
  
"And if James is bad, imagine Sirius!" Emma said and the girls laughed.  
  
"So if we're all going to live together, where are we going to live?" Lily asked.  
  
"Somewhere in London?" Jess suggested.  
  
"Yeah, near the shops!" Emma said.  
  
"Well why don't we see what there is to available." Lily said.  
  
"Lily don't you have to go on patrol?" Jess asked.  
  
"Oh, yeah!" Lily said, "come on Laura."  
  
Laura didn't answer.  
  
"Laura, we have to go." Lily said, looking for her wand.  
  
"Ur…… Lily Laura has fallen asleep." Emma said.  
  
"What?"  
  
"I think she wore her self out with Remus last night." Emma said.  
  
Lily rolled her eyes.  
  
"Laura wake up." Lily said shaking her.  
  
"Go away!" She muttered and she rolled over.  
  
Lily smiled mischievously. "I know." She said and she picked up the jug of water that sat on the window sill. "Laura." She said sweetly.  
  
"Go away!" Laura said again.  
  
Lily just smiled and poured the water over her head.  
  
"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Laura screamed. "LILY!"  
  
Everyone in the room fell about laughing.  
  
"Come on it's time for patrol." Lily said like nothing had happened.  
  
"What did you do that!" Laura asked.  
  
"What wake you up?" Lily asked innocently. "I had to it's time to go on patrol."  
  
Laura narrowed her eyes and Lily just smiled.  
  
"Come on, we don't have all day!" She said and she left the room.  
  
Sorry this has taken ages to post, but it's here now.  
The next chapter sould be good, I wanted to do a bit when they weren't at school.  
I was thinking about making a sequel to this story about after they leave school, what do you think good /bad? Let me know.  
Please review!! 


	9. Practical Week

All the seventh years were getting ready to leave for their practical week. This was the week when they all left school and worked for a week doing the jobs that they wanted to do after they left school.  
  
Dumbledore had made a small speech and told them all to behave and be careful, and now Lily, James, Sirius, Emma, Jess, Remus, Laura and Peter were all saying goodbye to each other, even though they were going to be seeing each other very soon anyway.  
  
Lily, James and Sirius were becoming Aurors for the week, Laura and Emma were going to be working in St. Mungo's, Remus was going to be helping Professor May, the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, Jess was helping in the Three Broomsticks as her placement with the Muggle Relations Department in the Ministry of Magic had fallen through, and Peter was helping in the Magical Menagerie cleaning animal cages, as his marks were so low it was all he could do.  
  
Everyone was staying at home except for Jess and Remus who were staying in the castle for convenience.  
  
"Now make sure he doesn't stray away while I'm not here." Laura joked to Jess as she hugged her goodbye.  
  
"I will." She said laughing.  
  
"Don't you tust me?" Remus asked pretending to look hurt.  
  
Laura just smiled and kissed Remus, "be good." She said and she apparated away.  
  
"Fancy a drink in Hogesemade?" Remus asked Jess.  
  
"Um no………. I'll be seeing enough of that place tomorrow!" Jess said and her and Remus returned to the castle and sat in Remus' dormitory. He had a teachers dormitory as he wanted to be a teacher.  
  
"You know Id become a teacher just so I could stay in this dormitory." He said. "Fancy a drink?"  
  
"Tea please." Jess said and Remus conjured a drink. "I recon you'd be a good teacher."  
  
"Thanks." He said smiling, "what was it that you wanted to be again?"  
  
"Well I actually don't know, I just put down working in Muggle Relations because I didn't know what else to do!"  
  
"Well I'm sure you'll be good at whatever you do." He said, and he smiled. Jess' stomach did a small flip.  
  
No, she thought. He's going out with your best friend.  
  
Lily and Emma apparated to outside their house.  
  
"Why couldn't we apparate inside?" Lily asked.  
  
"I don't know." Emma said, trying to open the door. "Mum and Dad should be here, unless………."  
  
"Unless what?" Lily asked.  
  
"Well every year mum and dad go on holiday around this time, but they should know that we were coming home." Emma said biting her lip.  
  
"Unless they got the week mixed up." Lily said. "So we're going to be home alone…."  
  
They both looked at each other and their eyes widened.  
  
"PARTY!" They said at the same time.  
  
The next day Jess went down into the Three Broomsticks and was helping Madame Rosmerta.  
  
It was just after the lunch time rush of costumers and the bar was very quiet with only a few people still in it.  
  
"Jess I'm going to stock up on butter beer while it's still quiet, will you be alright on your own for a few minuets?" Rosmerta asked.  
  
"Sure." Jess said and Rosmerta disappeared into to the celler.  
  
Jess scanned the bar looking for something to do, there was a man sitting over by the window who had a few fire whisky glasses on his table. He looked a bit drunk.  
  
Jess picked up a tray and went over.  
  
"Why Hello." The man said when she started clearing up. His speech was slured.  
  
Jess just smiled.  
  
"Come and have a drink." The man said.  
  
"No thank you." Jess said politly and the man grabbed her arm as she walked away.  
  
"Come on one drink, I could do with the company of a beautiful woman." Jess looked at him and noticed a weding ring on his finger.  
  
"I'm sorry I'm working." She said trying to free her arm, but the man tightened his grip.  
  
"One drink." He said.  
  
"I'm sorry I can't." She said trying to reach for her wand but one of her hands was holfing the tray and the man had the other one.  
  
"Why not?" The man asked.  
  
"Because I'm working, and your married." Jess said, the man looked at his ring.  
  
"Oh yeah." He said, "but she'd never know." The man pulled Jess down on to a chair still holding on to her arm.  
  
"Get off me sir." She said dangerously.  
  
The mad let go of her, and she stood up. She started walking away when she feld a hand slap her on the bum.  
  
"OI!" Someone shouted from the door as Jess turned towards the man.  
  
He just smiled and Jess poured a half empty glass of firewhishy over him.  
  
"I was drinking that." He said angrily and he stood up with his wand out.  
  
Jess felt a hand on her shoulder and she saw Remus stand in front of her.  
  
"Is this man bothering you Jess?" He asked.  
  
"No we were just having a chat, it's a free country." The man said now pointing his wand at Remus.  
  
"It's not when you slap her on the bum." Re,us said dangerously.  
  
"Oh and who re you to tell me what I can and Can't do?" The man asked atumbling slightly as he stepped forwards.  
  
Jess watch Remus carfully as he thought for a moment.  
  
"It's my buisnes when she's my girlfriend." He said, and Jess' eyes widened.  
  
"What? Oh sorry I didn't know." The man said droppng his wand and tripping over his own feet, falling to the floor.  
  
Jess bent down and heard the man snoring.  
  
"Thanks." She said, feeling a little akward.  
  
"It's fine, are you OK?" Remus asked.  
  
"I am now, my hero." He said and she levitated the man outside.  
  
Rosmerta came up from the celler. "Is everything alright here?" She asked.  
  
"Just a costumer who wouldn't tak no for an answer." Jess said.  
  
Rosmerta frowned, "are you OK."  
  
"I am thanks to Remus." Jess said.  
  
"Take the rest of the day off, and don't say no, I'll see you tomorrow." Rosmerta said.  
  
"Thanks." Jess said and she left the bar with Remus.  
  
"Lets get a coffee." Remus said and they went down into a small café.  
  
"Why aren't you in the castle?" Jess asked.  
  
"Lunch break." He said, "Are you sure your OK." Remus asked.  
  
"Yes I', sure." Jess said, "thank's again." She said.  
  
"Well you know me, your regular super wizard, I'd just come from helping old ladies cross streets and stopping natural disasters." Remus said puffing his chest out.  
  
Jess laughed. "But why did you tell him I was your girlfriend?"  
  
"Just to scare him a bit, I mean he wouldn't care if you were just my friend." Remus said casually.  
  
"I suppose." Jess said she had actually thought it meant something for a moment.  
  
"Oh," Remus said putting his drink down. "Emma visited earlier. She said that her parents have gone away and that her and Lily are home alone, so they've invited us to a party."  
  
Jess smiled, "great!" She said, "should be fun."  
  
That night Lily and Emma came home from work and set about getting the house ready for a party.  
  
"How was St. Mungo's?" Lily asked.  
  
"Great, there were so many fit healers." Emma said smiling.  
  
"Your going out with Sirius." Lily said.  
  
"I know but theres no harm in looking." Emma said and they both giggled. "I invied some to night."  
  
"Good," Lily said.  
  
"What about you how was the Auror headquarters?" Emma asked.  
  
" Brilliant, we had a talk from some Auror about raids they'd been on and what we need to do to become good Aurors and stuff like that. Then they let us do a simulation of a real raid." Lily said.  
  
"Wow, sounds exciting." Emma said moving the living room furnature around so she could make a dance floor.  
  
"When are people arriving?" Lily asked as she set out food on the dinning room table.  
  
"Um, eight." Emma said.  
  
There were two loud cracks and James and Sirius appeared in front of them.  
  
"James." Lioy said and she hugged her boyfriend.  
  
"Lily." James said and he drew Lily into a kiss.  
  
"So when's the party?" Sirius asked standing behind Emma and putting his arms around her waist,  
  
"Later." Emma said as she kissed Sirius.  
  
Soon Jess, Remus and Laura had arrived and they decided to get the party started. Lily enchanted the room so music played and dimmed the ligts a little.  
  
Half an hour later the house was packed with people, most of them from Hogwarts.  
  
"God if my parents found out about this they'd kill us." Emma said to Lily.  
  
"Well lets hope they don't." Lily said.  
  
"Where are your parents anyway?" Jess asked.  
  
"They went on holiday." Emma said.  
  
"Didn't they know you were coming back?" Laura asked.  
  
"Must have forgotten." Emma said.  
  
"Oh Jess, I think he likes you." Lily said nodding her head to the left where there was a man standing looking at Jess.  
  
"Oh that's Rob, he's a trainee healer at St. Mungo's." Emma said. "Go sayd hello."  
  
"What no, if he likes me then he can come to me." Jess said.  
  
"You go girl!" Laura asid and they all laughed.  
  
"Have you girls seen Peter?" James asked coming over to them.  
  
"No." Lily said, "Emma you did invite him didn't you."  
  
"Oh Crap!" Emma said, "be back in a minuet." She apparated away.  
  
"I have to go, I have to stop Sirius from getting too drunk." James said and he slipped off.  
  
The next day Lily and Emma woke up to find the house looking like a bomb had hit it.  
  
"Oh my God." Lily said as she started clearing things away.  
  
"Morning." Emma said cheerfully coming into the kitchrn and making her breakfast.  
  
"How can you be so cheerfull, look at the starte of this place?" Lily said.  
  
"What?" Emma said looking around, "oh right." She said and she flicked her wand and the house was spotless.  
  
" Why didn't I think of that?" Lily asked herself sitting next to Emma and pouring some tea. "So what has put that smiled on your face."  
  
"Well…" Emma said but at the moment someone came into the room.  
  
"Morning ladies." Sirius said getting himself a drink and kissing Emma on the cheek.  
  
He looked like he had just woken up, his usually graceful hair was messy and dishevelled, a bit like James'.  
  
"Where did you come from?" Lily asked.  
  
"Well," Sirius said, "when two adults love each other they…"  
  
"Ha, ha, you know what I mean." Lily said.  
  
"I stayed here last night." He said.  
  
"Oh," Lily said smiling. "Well Sirius you should get some cloths on, becaue we have to be at work in fifteen minuets."  
  
"I'll have to love you and leave you." He said and he kissed Emma again befe apparating to his house.  
  
"So." Lily said to Emma, "did you….. You know?"  
  
"Maybe." Emma said smiling mischievously.  
  
Remus walked bak from the defence against the dark arts classroom, it was Friday and he had finished his last day's work. He actually got to teach a little today, but it was hard.  
  
He was teaching a first year class, but no one was really paying attention. All the girls kept whispering toeachother and giggling when he asked them something, and all the boys kept asking about pranks he'd pulled.  
  
He entered his dormitory and put down all the books he was carrying. He was so tired, he had been up since early this morning planning his lesson, but that had been a waste of time. But it would be easier once he had left the school and not so many people still remembered the marauders.  
  
Someone knocked on the door.  
  
"Coming." He said and he went to open it. "Jess."  
  
"Hi." She said, "got a bit lonely on my own so I thought I'd drop by." She held up some butterbeer bottles. "Rosmerta gave me some to say thanks and I didn't want to drink them alone."  
  
"Right." Remus said. "Come in."  
  
Jess entered the room and sat on the sofa opposite Remus.  
  
"So how was your day?" She asked.  
  
"OK." Remus said taking a bottle and un corking it.  
  
Soon they had finished the butterbeer and were on to drinking something slightly stronger.  
  
"So I said to him, I said……… um, I said……." Remus babbled drunkenly. "What was I talking about?"  
  
Jess burst out laughing and sat next to Remus, "your funny." She said hitting him on the stomach.  
  
Jess sat upright again, "you have really nice eyes." She said staring at his eyes like she'd never seen any before.  
  
"Why thank you." Remus said taking a bite from a cake he had conjured earlier.  
  
"Dou you need a bib Mr. Remus?" She asked taking a crumb off his shirt and eating it.  
  
"Oh I was saving that for later." Remus said indignantly.  
  
Jess pouted, "what you gonna do?" She asked, and she jumped pff the ofa as Remus started chasing her.  
  
They ran around the room and Remus pinned Jess to the ground.  
  
They lay on the ground out of breath, they looked into each others eyes, Jess suddenly felt completely sober.  
  
She lifted her head knowing that she would regret what she was going to do later, but she wanted it to happen. She thought that maybe if she kissed him then he would kiss her back and declare his love for her and dump Laura.  
  
She pressed her lips against Remus' and for a moment nothing happened, and for a split second Jess thougth he was returning the kiss, but then he pulled away.  
  
"What are you doing?" Remus asked standing up.  
  
Oh crap Jess thought, "I um kissed you." She said lamely.  
  
"I know that, but I'm going out with your best friend." Remus said backing away from her.  
  
Jess got to her feet, "I know, but dump her go out with me." She said advancing on him.  
  
"What…… No." Remus said.  
  
"Go on, you can't say you don't like me." Jess said.  
  
"I can and I will." Remus said nearly trippiong over the sofa trying to get away from Jess.  
  
"But I would treat you better then Laura does." Jess said as she pinned Remus to the sofa and tried kissing him again.  
  
"Get off me!" He shouted, "I don't like you in that way. I'm in love with your best friend."  
  
Anger flared up inside Jess, why did everyone else have what she wanted, why couldn't she get something she wanted for a change? "Shame she doen't love you back then."  
  
"What, yes she does." Remus said.  
  
"That's not what she told me." Jess said, "she doen't love you, but I do."  
  
"What I hardly know you." Remus said a little scared.  
  
"But I know you, Laura has told me all about you, she said how nice you are to her, and I want that with you." Jess said hopefully, "we should be together."  
  
"I don't know where you got that idea from, but you should be ashamed of your self." Remus said. "Laura is your best friend and you shouldn't betray her. Now go, I'll put your little outburst down to drink."  
  
Jess looked at Remus hurt and left the room quickly tears in her eyes.  
  
"God hat have I done?" She asked herself hitting the cold stone wall outside Remus' room. What if Remus told Laura? That couldn't happen.  
  
She slid down the wall tears in her eyes. How could she be so stupid, she was going to loose al her friends, then an idea struck her.  
  
She got out her wand and straightened up. S She knock on Remus' door, he opened it.  
  
He was about to say something when she raised her wand and said "obliviate."  
  
Remus' face went blank for a moment before returning to normal.  
  
"Jess." He said, "what can I do for you?"  
  
"Don't worry." Jess said and she walked away leaving Remus looking puzzled.  
  
Jess had erased his memory of the past few hours, the last thing he would remember was coming back from the Defence Against the Dark Art classroom.  
  
This has taken ages to post coz the internet was buggered up and then it wouldn't let me o t this site, and then I had to do a huge History Essay which I haven't even finished yet!  
Also 1 week and 4 days till my birthday!!!!! I get really excited around my b-day, I'll be 14!  
  
Any way Don't forget to review! 


	10. Breaking Up

Jess was dreading the return of Laura, they were best friends and she had just done something terrible. But then again Laura was the one betraying her by going out with Remus even thought Jess liked him, not that she had told her that she liked him, but there best friends and she should know these things!

There was a noise from over by the door and Jess pulled her hangings open and saw Lily and Emma levitating their trunks in.

"Jess." Lily said and she hugged her.

"Hi." Jess said plastering a fake smile on her face as she hugged her friends. "Laura not here?"

"No she's coming later." Emma said, "so how was your week?"

"Um." Jess said how much could she say without accidentally telling them she had tried to get of with her best friends boyfriend. "It was OK I suppose."

"How was the Three Broomsticks?" Lily asked flopping down on her bed.

"Ok, one man tried it on." Jess said.

"Tried it on in a good way?" Emma asked.

"No in a bad way, but Remus helped me out." Jess said, guilt rising in her when she said Remus name.

"Remus is nice, Laura is lucky to have him." Lily said.

"Um what about you two?" Jess asked eager to get the subject off Remus.

Soon everyone had arrived back at the castle and they all sat in the common room together trading stories and having a laugh.

"So Peter what was your job like?" Sirius asked, a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

"Messy." He grunted, "and smelly."

"Well animal poo doesn't really have the best scent." James said and everybody started laughing.

"Don't be mean James." Lily said, trying to hold back a smile.

James just smiled innocently, "fine." He said, "what about you Remus?"

"It was great, but I have the strangest feeling that I've forgotten something really important." He said.

"Like what?" Emma asked.

"I don't know." he said hitting his head to try and remember,

"It's probably nothing." Jess said quickly.

"I suppose, it's just annoying." Remus said.

The weeks rolled by and soon the NEWTS were only a matter of weeks away. Dumbledore had excused al seventh year prefects from patrol duties so they could revise.

Lily and James sat together in the common room, they were meant to be revising, but they got a bit distracted.

"Your not good for me." Lily said as she curled up to James by the fire.

"That's why you love me." James said smiling at his girlfriend.

Lily smiled back, "no, I love you because you're you." Lily said and she planted a soft kiss on James' lips.

"Ah look how cute they look together." Sirius said sitting down with Emma opposite them.

Lily smiled sweetly and sat up.

James was slightly annoyed that they had been interrupted.

"It's unusual to see you not revising for once." Emma said to Lily.

"There is more to life then work." Lily said.

"What? Who are you and what have you done with Lily!?" Sirius asked dramatically.

Lily stuck her tongue out at him, "ha Ha." She said.

"So how far away are the exams?" James asked.

"Three weeks." Lily said, and she suddenly felt guilty that she wasn't revising.

"That's soon." Sirius said going slightly white.

"Not worried are you Padfoot?" James asked.

"Nope, but I think I ate some bad chicken tonight." Sirius said.

"Sure," James said, "anyway I'm going to bed, got to get up early for Quiddich Training tomorrow."

"What tomorrow?" Sirius asked.

"Yes." James said, "I want the team up at the crack of dawn." James said and he strode off to bed.

"He's mad." Emma said shaking her head.

"I'd better get to bed too if I have to be up at five in the morning." Sirius said and she left too.

"I wonder where Jess and Laura are," Lily said, "it seems like ages since we just hung out together with no boys or anything."

"I know, but I think Laura and Remus are in the prefects common room, and Jess might be in bed." Emma said.

"Do you thong Jess still feels left out?" Lily asked.

"I dunno, she hasn't really said much since we came back from practical week."

"I know, strange, I wonder if anything happened?" Lily wondered.

"Lets go and see if she wants to talk." Emma said and they went up to the dormitories.

Jess was sitting at a desk in the corner of the room scribbling furiously with her quill.

"What you doing Jess?" Lily asked softly.

"What? Oh yeah I'm fine." Jess said not looking up.

"Are you sure, we have hardly seen you at all lately." Emma said.

"Yes, I've just been busy with work." Jess said putting down her quill.

Lily looked at her sceptically, "is there something that you to tell us?" She asked, "anything on your mind?"

Jess looked into Lily's eyes, Lily was probably he one person that she could tell, and not lose her as a friend, but she didn't dare tell anyone. "No, nothing I'm just working hard for my NEWT's."

True Jess had been spending most of her time with her head in books, but she wasn't reading them, in fact she didn't take in a word of them.

Lily just looked at her, why did she always give the impression that she could see right through people, but Lily just said, "I'm going to get ready for bed," and she went over to her trunk.

Jess turned back to the desk and cleared away all her books, she waited until Lily and Emma had gotten into bed before doing so herself.

She heard someone enter the room, it was Laura, "anyone awake?" she asked.

Lily popped her head through the hangings. "Hi Laura, where have you been?"

"In the prefect common room with Remus." She said.

"Oh really." Lily said, "I bet you weren't revising.".

"I never kiss and tell." Laura said and she changed into her PJ's.

"Have you talked to Jess recently?" Lily asked.

"Yeah this morning, but just about work and stuff." Laura said, "why?"

"Nothing I just get the feeling that she has something on her mind, but she's not saying anything?" Lily said.

"Like what?" Laura asked.

Lily thought or a second, "I don't know." She lied.

The next day Lily and James were walking back from Charms together hand in hand.

I wish we could get out of the castle for a while." Lily said looking out of a nearby window longingly.

"Then why don't we?2 James asked, "I have an invisibility cloak, no one would see."

Lily thought for a second, James knew that there were two Lily's batteling inside her head. One was telling her she shouldn't go, and the other was telling her to go and have fun.

"I don't know." Lily said. "if we were caught we'd lose our badges."

"Then we'll have to be extra careful." James said persuasively.

Lily thought for a few seconds more, "isn't there anywhere else we could go?"

It seemed that how ever much Lily wanted to have fun, she wouldn't risk losing her badge for it.

"Well." James said a thought coming to him. "We could got to the room of requirement."

"The what?" Lily asked.

"The room of requirement, it's a room that turns into anything you want it to be." James explained.

"Sounds great." Lily said.

They sped back to the common room dumped their bags, and James retrieved his cloak and map from his trunk.

"What is that?" Lily asked pointing to the piece of parchment in his hands.

"This is the greatest invention ever, and a piece of the marauders finest work." James said proudly puffing out his chest.

Lily looked at him sceptically.

"I'll explain later." He said and she threw the cloak around the tow of them and made their way to the room of requirement.

James walked past the wall a few times with Lily following him.

"What are you doing?" Lily asked as if James was mad.

But James just nodded towards a door that had appeared in front of them.

They entered to find a big room full of squashy chairs, a roaring fire and a bar in one corner. To the left there was a big set of doors with a small garden filled with snow.

"Wow." was all Lily could say. "has this always been here."

"I think so." James said and he went over to the bar. "What can I get you madam? A butterbeer, or something stronger?"

Lily laughed and joined James at the bar.

Soon they had gone throught most of the drinks, and were now out in the fake garden having a snowball fight.

Peter sat in the common room with Jess, they were working, but Peter couldn't concentrate with Jess sitting near him.

"Peter are you alright, you don't seem to be doing much work?" Jess asked looking over at Peter.

"What, oh yeah I'm fine." He said clumsily knocking over an ink bottle.

Jess rolled her eyes and moved a little away from him, he gave her the creeps.

"Hello folks." Remus said cheerily joining them.

Guilt filled Jess' stomach, "hey." She said quietly.

"What happened?" Remus asked looking over at Peter fumbling to save his work form getting drenched in ink.

"Just an accident." He said.

"What too busy staring at Jess." Remus muttered loudly enough for Peter and Jess to hear.

"What?" Peter asked going red.

Jess pretened to not have heard, but still felt repulsed at the thought to going anywhere near Peter in that way.

Remus rolled his eyes, and he followed Laura, who had just walked in, up to his dormitory.

They entered the empty room.

They sat in the room together for a little while, talking, kissing, talking and kissing a bit more.

"I love you." Remus whispered in Laura's ear.

Laura smiled and hugged her boyfriend.

Remus waited to hear the words back, but Laura stayed silent.

He broke out of the hug and looked expectantly at Laura.

She looked uncomfortable, she didn't want to lie to Remus, she really cared for him, but she didn't know whether she loved him.

"So, I have to go. I have a ton of work to do." She said hoping Remus would stop her.

"Why are you leaving?" He asked and he pulled her back onti his bed.

"I have work to do."

"Why did you just ignore me when I said that I love you?" Remus asked.

"I didn't ignor you." Laura said.

"But you didn't say anything." Remus said, "don't you love me back?"

"Well." Laura said, "I really like you nad we have a lot of fun and all, but."

"But you don't love me." Remus said hurt filling his voice.

"It's not that I don't like you, because I do, it's just that I don't know if I love you." Laura asid rying to explain herself, but Remus was just looking like she had ripped his heart out.

"But, we've been together for ages, I mean before you found out that I was a weewolf you were all over me, but after you found out you distanced your self from me, why?" Remus asked.

"It's not that it's just that, well…." Laura had no idea what to say, she knew deep down inside that that was why she didn't love him.

"I get it, your ashamed to be going out with me since you know what I really am." Remus said angry.

"It's not that…" Laura said helplessly.

"I thougth you were different, I mean everyone else excepts it and they don't treat me different, and I never expected you to." Remus said moving away from Laura like she was somethingdamgerous.

"No you don't understand, I, it's just…….." Laura trued to say something, anything that would make this seem better, but Remus was spot on, she just knew that she would never be able to handle growing old with a werewolf. It's not that she couldn't love him, she just didn't want to, she knew it would all end in tears.

"Just leave." Remus shouted turning away from her discusted, and feeling about two inches high.

"Remus, don't be like this." Laura pleeded putting a hand on his shoulder.

He shrugged her off, "don't touch me, you might catch something." Remus spat coldly.

Laura just stood there looking at him hurt.

"Get out!" He shouted, and Laura eventually left.

Right had no idea what to write in this chapter but I hope it's OK, I'm aiming to get this stpry nearly finished by Christmas, I doubt that will happen, but I live in hope!

Next up are the NEWT's and I have something planed for Peter! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA (Evil Laughter)

If he were anyone else I would feel sorry for what I'm about to do to him, but he's not and I don't!

Don't forget to review!


	11. NEWT's

Soon the dreaded NEWT's were upon them, and anyone even coughing in the common room was cursed to oblivion by Lily. She had already given a two third years horns, and one sixth year a rather long green beard. She was now receiving daily calming draughts from Madame Pomfry as she kept getting so anxious.

Since their fight Remus and Laura hadn't uttered one word to each other, Remus didn't want to see, let alone talk to Laura anymore, and Laura couldn't bring her self to talk to him she was so ashamed.

"I just feel so bad, I want to say something to him, but I don't know what." Laura said to Jess who was trying to read through her potions notes for the exam the next morning.

"hmm." She said trying to block out the sound of her voice.

"But I get the feeling that even if I did try and say something to her he wouldn't want to hear it." Laura said not noticing that Jess was listening.

"Yeah." Jess said.

"sssshhhhhhh." Lily hissed who was sitting next to Laura, but she ignored her.

"But maybe if I explained myself he would still want to be friends." Laura said.

"yep," jess said having no idea what Laura was saying.

"SSSSSHHHHH!" Lily said again but Laura ignored her as she had done so before.

"But what if he doesn't want to know, it could get really awkward." Laura said.

"hmm." Jess said again wishing Laura would just shut up and leave her in peace.

"What if he thinks I want to get back together, which I don't and he says he loves me again and we have another fight. Then I'll go through all this again." Laura fretted.

"Would you shut up!" Lily almost shouted and she put a silencing charm on Laura.

Laura open and closed her mouth like a gold fish but no sound came out.

"Thank you." Jess said relieved that she didn't have to listen to Laura rambling on at her about how bad she felt. Jess really didn't care how Laura felt, it was her who had broken Remus heart by saying she had a problem with him being and werewolf, although secretly she was happy that they had broken up, now there was at least a chance of her and Remus getting together.

"It's fine," she said to Jess. "Now do some revision." She said this time to Laura who tried to protest, but as she couldn't speak nothing happened.

Their first exam, potions, was tomorrow morning and everyone had their potions notes out and were studying them furiously making sure they hadn't left anything out. Lily had to separate herself from James because he was so much of a distraction, and she knew that if James was near her she would never get any revision done!

The next day dawned and all the seventh years looked like something terrible was going to happen, which in one way was true.

They were about to face their Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests, and everyone was petrified of failing. Their whole futures rested on the exams that they were about to take.

They hardly ate their breakfast, Peter's food kept falling off his fork as he was concentrating on reading,

Lily had abandoned eating and was testing Emma on the ingredients of Veritaserum, Laura who had finally stopped talking about Remus was helping Jess remember the alternate names of wolfs bane.

"Monkshood, or…………or." Jess racked her brain for the other one.

"Aconite." Laura said.

"Yes that's it, aconite, aconite." Jess said trying to makes sure that it stuck in her head.

After breakfast the great hall was cleared and all the tables disappeared to make way for rows and rows of smaller tables.

"Good luck." James said to Lily kissing her on the cheek as the doors opened and they walked in and sat at their desks.

"You have an hour and a half to complete this exam." Professor Flitwick squeaked from the front of the hall, "start now." He said turning over a giant hourglass.

"Everyone turned over their papers and begun.

One of the first questions was "what is wolfs bane also known as?"

Lily remembered Laura asking Jess that question and she quickly wrote down the answer.

"What is Bezoar, and where is it found?" Lily smiled again, this didn't seen that hard after all.

"Your time is up, please stop writing." Professor Flitwick said from the front an hour and a half later, and he summoned all the exam papers to his desk. "You may now leave."

They left the hall and went up to the common room.

"That wasn't too bad," James said.

"I know I thought it would be harder." Lily agreed.

"What are you talking about, I couldn't remember what a bezoar is let alone where you find it." Peter squeaked. "I thought it was a charms exam, I've been revising that."

"Wormtail, you plank!" James said, "thanks I needed a good laugh!" He said and he pulled out his potions notes and revised for the practical later that day.

The next day was the muggle studies exam which hardly anyone was taking so they used their free time to revise for Care of Magical Creatures the next day.

One of the questions was about Blast Ended Skrewts.

"Describe how you would be able to distinguish between a male and female skrewt." James read. He Remembered reading about them in his text book, and he made note to find one and set it loose in the Slytherin Common room.

Later that day they had their practical exam, and James and Peter were called in at the same time. One of their tasks was to correctly extract the puss from a black slug like creature called a Bubotuber. James was able to do this perfectly, but Peter's went wrong and he had to be escorted to the hospital wing when he popped one of it's swellings and broke out in sores and boils.

On Thursday it was Charms, and Lily was actually confident that she would do well as it had always been her best subject. Everyone else wasn't so calm.

"God, I'm always having too much fun in charms to pay attention to what Flitwick is saying." Moaned Jess looking through her notes and finding she made very little.

"You can borrow mine." Lily said, passing Jess a stack of notes about half the size of herself.

"Thanks." Jess said pulling the top piece of parchment off and starting to read.

After breakfast they waited outside the great hall while it was being re-arranged.

"Wormtail if you need the loo, just go." Sirius said a Peter dancing up and down on the spot doing a weird sort of Irish jig.

"I can't go now, I'll miss the start of the exam." He whined.

Sirius just shrugged, "suit yourself." He said and the door opened and they took up their usual desks.

Their time started and everyone turned over their papers. The exam was quite easy nothing too taxing, well not for most people. Wormtail was having trouble concentrating on the parchment in front of him.

He saw the teachers strolling up and down the rows of students all of whom were scribbling furiously on their papers. He turned over the page and tried to read the first question, but he was giggling about so much it was hard to concentrate.

"Would you keep still." Professor McGonagall hissed at him as she passed.

Wormtail took a deep breath and tried to put his urges out of his mind until he finished the exam. It was working, he didn't feel the urge to pee anymore, but them he felt something wet trickling down his leg.

He looked down and saw a wet patch forming on the crotch of his trousers.

Oh crap! He thought, Bugger, bugger, bugger! He looked around to see if anyone else had noticed that he was wetting his self. He tried to stop the flow, but he couldn't.

What the hell am I gong to do? He thought as at last it stopped and he felt relieved. He looked down and saw a small wet patch on the floor, and felt some liquid on his chair.

He could wait for the exam to end, then quickly dry up the mess he had made and change his robes before anyone noticed. But that would be too difficult and someone was bound to notice.

What could he do? He couldn't tell a teacher it was too embarrassing, there was only one other thing for it.

He looked around, all the teachers were busy and everyone else was working. He got up and ran as fast as he could to the doors leaving his wet chair behind.

Everyone one stopped working and watched as he ran, he could hear muttering and pointing.

"He's wet himself." Someone called across the room, and everyone erupted into laughter.

He was nearly at the doors when someone stuck their foot out and before he could stop he tripped over it landing with a thud on the floor.

He wished the ground would swallow him up now, as he felt severe pain in his nose and saw blood trickle onto the floor.

A pair of hands grabbed his hands and pulled him up.

"Come on get out." Came Professor McGonagall's voice, she pushed him out into the deserted hall. "What in the name of Merlin is going on?"

Peter stayed silent.

"Explain your self now or your punishment will be even worse." She said shaking with anger.

"I………… I……….. Um……………. Had an accident." He squeaked.

"What kind of……" She started but she soon realised what he was saying. "I see, well get your self off to the hospital wing and get your nose sorted out, it is probably broken, I will deal with you later." She said her voice softening ever so slightly.

Soon the rest of the exam was let out and everyone was talking about the boy that hangs around with the Marauders that wet himself.

"Where the hell is Wormtail?" James asked when they reached the common room and expected him to be there.

"I can't believe he did that." Sirius said shaking his head.

"He just wanted to do well on his exam." Lily said, "you should go and find him, you'll be allowed out on your own, James' is head boy after all."

"But where is he?" James asked again.

"On the toilet." Sirius suggested.

"Hey leave him alone." Emma said hitting him in the chest.

"What?" he said innocently, "he obviously needed to go."

James and Remus left for the hospital wing to find Peter sitting by Madame Pomfry's office drinking a potion, presumably for his nose.

"Hey Wormtail." James said pulling up a chair by his bed.

Peter just looked at them.

"You alright?" Remus asked.

"Broke my nose." He said in barley a whisper.

"Ouch. Is it painful?" James asked, he didn't really know what to say, he wasn't very good at the sensitive stuff.

"A bit."

"Look." Remus said getting impatient, he really needed to revise for his practical. "I'm not being insensitive or anything, but lets just get straight to the point. We know what happened just now, and we don't care, so we still want to be your friend and you don't need to avoid us because you think we don't like you anymore."

Peter just started at Remus for a second. "Thanks." He finally squeaked.

"Right, now the awkward but s over can we please go back to the common room I need to practise summoning spells.

The weekend came, and this was the perfect time for more revision. Jess and Remus sat at a table in the corner of the common room testing each other on Defence Against the Dark Arts.

"God, I've done enough revision to last a life time." Remus said throwing his book down when he could do no more.

"I know what you mean, I can't wait until these exams are over." Jess said taking her hair out of a pony tail and letting it hang loose.

"You hair looks nice down." Remus said as he fingered a lock of it.

"Thanks." Jess said smiling and shaking her head so her hair tickled Remus' face.

"Hey!" He said playfully.

"You know if Lily were down here we would probably be dung beetles by now." Jess said.

"Well it's a good job she's not." Remus said, "She almost gave me whiskers the other day."

"You would look good as a cat." Jess said, and Remus hit her playfully on the arm.

"Are you sure that Laura would want us to be getting along so well?" Remus asked as she came down from the dormitories and onto the sofa where Emma was sitting.

"Why not?" Jess asked, feeling a little disappointed that he was talking about Laura when things were getting so close.

"Well she's against half breeds like me, she might not like her best friend associating with one." He said bitterly.

"That's not true." Jess said although she disagreed. "She just didn't want to go out with you any more, it has nothing to do with you being a werewolf."

"If you say so, I just get the feeling that if she didn't want to be with me then no one will." Remus said depressed.

"Well I know that's not true." Jess said blushing slightly, what she wouldn't give to tell Remus how she felt about him.

"What do you mean?"

"Don't worry , forget I said anything." Jess said shyly.

"Come on." Remus pleaded.

"Well lets just say I know someone who likes you for who you are." Jess said looking straight at Remus and seeing if he would take the hint.

"Who?" He asked, he obviously hadn't realised the person was sitting right next to him. "Do I know them?"

"Yes, rather well." Jess said.

"Oh, I wonder who." he said, "but I don't think I'm ready for another relationship right now. I'm still in love with Laura no matter how much I try not to be."

"Right I see." Jess said sinking feeling in her stomach, "well I have to go, bye." She said and she left Remus on his own, a little surprised at her abrupt departure.

For heavens sake, Jess thought, why can't he see what is right in front of his face?

Soon it was Monday, and it was time for their next exam.

Peter his behind his friends as not to attract unwanted attention from the other students. H had been given detention by McGonagall for a week, she probably would have given it to him for a month but there wasn't a month left of term.

The doors opened and everyone filed into the hall.

"Got your nappy on today?" A Slytherin hissed at Peter.

"Do you need to sit on a potty instead of a chair?"

"Hey, shut it!" Sirius said in such a menacing tone that they boy backed away.

"Thanks." Wormtail squeaked and he got into the hall as fast as he could.

The week drew on, and soon it was Friday, their last exam, Transfiguration.

James finished the written paper early and lay back in his chair. He saw Sirius doing the same and he smiled. It was just like when he was doing his OWL's, except hopefully this time Lily wouldn't go mad at him for threatening to pull down Snape's underpants. Hopefully he wouldn't even have to see Snape's underpants again.

"Time's up." Professor Flitwick. Said from the front of the hall, he collected in the papers and everyone left.

"Only the practical to do then we are free for the rest of our lives." Sirius said.

"I can't wait until I never have to do another exam." Remus said joining them.

"I agree with you on that one." Sirius said

The afternoon came, the practical took ages as one person accidentally turned one of the examiners into an eagle and it took an hour to tempt it down from the ceiling so they could turn him back.

After it was finally over Dumbledore had allowed all the Seventh years to go out onto the grounds. He said that seeing as they were of age now and they had effectively finished their magical education they could look after them selves.

Everyone was out on the grounds, Lily was sitting with her best friends sun bathing by the lake when the boy's came out to join them.

"I can't believe it's all over." Emma said, "I don't want to leave."

"I know, I can't imagine not getting on the Hogwarts Express in September." Lily said.

"I'm going to miss here so much when we leave." Jess said.

"At least we still have a week left." Emma said.

The boys sat down.

"You all sad about leaving?" James asked.

"Yep." Lily said, "I love it here. Maybe I should have failed my exams on purpose so I could repeat the year."

"You could, but I'd miss you too much." James said.

"Please don't start kissing." Laura pleaded.

"Why shouldn't they?" Remus asked, it was the first time he'd spoken to Laura. "Just because you don't have a boyfriend anymore, which is all your fault."

"I……" Laura started saying but what did she say to the man she had dumped because of what he was. "Look I'm so sorry."

"Whatever, I don't want to hear anything from you." Remus said bitterly.

"Could you please not start fighting now, it's our last day of exams we should be celebrating." Jess pleaded.

"I'm sorry," Remus said

"Sorry." Laura said.

There was a small silence, "So what's everyone doing after we leave?" Emma asked putting her head on Sirius' lap and he stroked her hair.

"Auror training for me." Lily said.

"Same." James said.

"Yep me too." Sirius said.

"Teacher training." Remus said.

"Healer training." Laura said.

"Yeah I'm doing that too." Emma said.

"I don't know what I want to do." Jess said. "I'll probably get a job at the Ministry."

"Looks like we're all sorted." Lily said "but I still don't want to leave."

"No one does," James said, "but as long as we're all together it will be fun where ever we are."

"That was really deep." Sirius said pretending to wipe a tear from his eye.

"Hey!" James said and he got up, made sure no one was looking, and turned into a stag and charged for Sirius.

Sirius jumped out of the way, turned into a dog, and jumped on James' back.

"I think they should stay like that, they are so much more attractive." Lily said, and James charged at her instead.

God, I've already got them leaving Hogwarts, and this is only chapter 11! It's too soon, they have to leave Hogwarts soon and grow up! I've been thinking of the sequel, you know about their adult lives, and I have no idea what to call it, any ideas?

Anyway please review!


	12. Filthy Half Breed

With exams over there was nothing left to do at Hogwarts, they now had one week left, although still having lessons, doing nothing. Everything they had been preparing for in school was over, and there was no point in teaching anyone anything new, besides there wasn't much left to teach them.

Laura and Remus hadn't spoken since the last day of their exams, and everyone was trying to keep them in separate rooms, as it was too uncomfortable to bare when they were around each other.

The boy's were keeping busy planning one last prank for the school, they wanted to leave with a bang so that no one ever forgot them.

So far the plan included twenty Nifflers, a large amount of slime and some bird feathers.

Laura sat at the back of the charms classroom. Lily, Emma and Jess were racing their Quills around a nearby table, she didn't feel like joining in. Her eyes scanned the classroom and rested on Remus who was sitting a few desks away from her.

She hated fighting with him like this, especially as she cared for him so much. She needed to clear the air, and there was no time like the present.

She stood up and straightened up her cloths and walked warily towards him.

"Excuse me, can we talk?" She asked Remus tapping him on the shoulder.

"Please don't touch me." He said.

James, who was sitting next the Remus, frowned.

"Please." Laura pleaded.

Remus just looked at her.

"Go on." James said pushing him out of his chair, "we can spare you for a few minuets."

Remus got up and walked with Laura over to the corner of the class room.

The girls stopped racing their quill's and turned to watch.

"This is a disaster waiting to happen." Emma said as she sat on the nearest desk.

"At least we have good seats to watch the fight." Jess said making herself comfortable.

"Look, I just wanted to apologise for what I did." Laura said nervously. "I'm so sorry,"

"Well." Remus said coldly, "apology not accepted."

Laura sighed." I know that I really hurt you, and I wish it had never come out like that, but it did, and I'm so so so sorry."

"Well saying it again won't make me forgive you." Remus said.

Laura was beginning to get annoyed, "how many times do I have to say it, because I just want to clear the air, and become friends again."

"You can say it as many times as you want, your empty words mean nothing." Remus said, "and I don't want to be friends with someone who can't accept me for who I am."

"But I do accept you, I just didn't want to be with you anymore." Laura said.

"But you don't accept me, that's the point. As soon as you found out what I was, am, you went all funny." Remus said.

"I'm sorry, I know dong that was wrong, but I cant take it back, and if I could I would." Laura said becoming more annoyed that Remus wasn't listening to her.

"Look, get this into your head. I don't want to be your friend." He said.

"Why are you being so damn stubborn?" Laura asked finally loosing her patience.

"Excuse me?" Remus said.

"I asked you why you are being so damn stubborn, I have apologized so many times, but you still refuse to accept it. Why won't you get over the fact that I don't want to go out with you anymore, and put it behind you." Laura said her voice becoming louder and louder.

"I'm not forgiving you because I can't get over the fact that you dumped me, but because of the reason that you did it." emus said almost shouting.

People were now stopping what they were doing to watch the fight now going on.

"Do you think we should say something?" Emma asked.

"No!" Lily and Jess said at the same time.

"It's exciting." Lily said as she looked like she was watching a tennis rally.

"I'm sorry but that's the way I felt." Laura said. "I can't help how I feel. So why can't we put this behind us?"

"Because I can't put it behind me." Remus shouted back.

"But why not, is it really that hard to do?" Laura shouted in an exasperated voice..

"Yes it is." Remus shouted back.

"But why, is it your ego?"

"No it is not." Remus shouted, "it's because……….. Because." Remus started becoming quieter. "It's because I still love you,"

The room was now silent, Remus looked around at everyone before running from the classroom.

Laura just stood there watching the spot where Remus had just been.

"Do you think someone should go after him?" Sirius asked.

"I'll go." Lily said, and she went out into the hall way but Remus was no where to be seen.

That's strange, she thought.

"HELP!" Someone shouted, Lily spun around and saw the hem of a cloak whip around the corner.

"Remus?" She shouted wordily back.

She ran down to he corridor to where a lump was sprawled on the floor.

She bent down and rolled it over. "Oh Crap!" She said when she saw it was Remus, and on his face cut onto his skin were the words _Filthy Half Breed._

She heard footsteps behind her and saw Emma and James come out of the classroom.

"What's going on?" Emma asked, "we heard someone shout help."

"It's Remus." Lily said, "we should take him to the hospital Wing."

"Why, what's happened?" James asked worriedly.

Lily moved aside to reveal Remus' face.

Emma gasped, "who did it?"

"I don't know, I only saw the hem of their cloak disappear around the corner." Lily said.

James started to run down the corridor in search of the person who had done it.

"James come back," Lily shouted, "They'll be gone by now, there's no point."

James ignored her, he wasn't going to let someone do that to his friend and get away with it.

"Why does he always have to be so macho?" Lily asked rolling her eyes.

"I don't know." Emma said, "we need to get him to the Hospital Wing, I'll go and get Sirius."

Emma returned with Sirius a few minuets later.

"What the Bloody hell happened?" He asked.

"We'll explain on the way to the Hospital Wing." Lily said, "now come on."

They got to the Hospital Wing, and got Madame Pomfry to deal with Remus.

Lily told Sirius what happened.

"So where has James gone?" Sirius asked.

"I don't know looking for the person that did this I suppose." Emma said, "would you go and find him."

"No, I'll go." Lily said. "I'll be back soon, hopefully with James."

As Lily left the Hospital Wing, Jess and Laura entered.

"Oh, my God." Laura said, "what happened?"

"Someone attacked him." Emma said.

"Is he going to be OK?" Jess asked.

"Madame Pomfry said he'll be fine once the cut's healed." Sirius said, "I just wish I knew who did it."

"I know, it's disgusting doing something like that, I bet they didn't even know him." Jess said.

"It's all my fault. If I didn't have a fight with him then he wouldn't have ran off." Laura said.

"Everything isn't about you." Sirius said annoyed.

Laura looked at Sirius shocked.

"Sorry, but I don't want to hear about you breaking down crying because your so sorry, you should accept the consequences of your actions." Sirius said.

"Excuse me, but you know nothing about what's been going on." Laura said put out by his sudden outburst.

"Yes I do, you broke up because you couldn't handle the fact he was a werewolf and now you crying all the time because you didn't mean to hurt his feelings , blah, blah, blah, blah." Sirius said.

"Well sorry if I want to make peace." Laura snapped.

"I don't care, if you have a problem with what Remus is, then I have a problem with you." Sirius said, "you know I wouldn't be surprised if you di that."

"Sirius stop it." Emma said.

Laura just looked at Sirius before running from the Hospital Wing.

"Sirius did you have to be so……… blunt?" Emma asked.

"Sorry but that's how I feel." He said.

"I would have a go at you, but I kind of agree with you." Emma said, "Except for the bit about her doing that."

Lily was walking through the corridors looking for James, where could he be?

She rounded a corned and saw him walking down the corridor

"James." She called out, and she ran down to meet him.

"Lily." He said surprised to see her, "you shouldn't be out on your own."

Lily scowled, "you are." She said.

"I know I am, but no ones going to want to kill me." James said. "it's just not safe anywhere anymore, look at what happened to Remus."

"I know but I can look after myself." Lily said. "Come back to the Hospital Wing with me, I doubt you're going to find the culprit."

James shrugged and pulled Lily into a hug, "I love you so much." She said.

"What's brought this on?" Lily asked.

"I don't know, I just want you to know you're the most precious thing to me, and I'm never going to let you go." James said hugging her even more tightly.

"I love you too." Lily said and she kissed him on the cheek, "but you are going to have to let me go soon."

"Why?" James asked worriedly.

"Because if you keep squeezing me this hard I won't be able to breath." Lily said.

James let go, "sorry." He said and he put his arm around Lily's waist.

"No problem," Lily said, now let's get to the Hospital Wing.

It was later that night and everyone was going off to bed.

"Jess you coming?" Lily asked.

"No, I'm going to see if Madame Pomfry can give me something, I've got a bit of a cold." Jess said.

"See you later."

Jess went and sat by Remus' bed, his cut was faint now, Madame Pomfry had worked her magic on it.

Remus started to open his eyes.

"Hello." Jess said.

"Hi." he said sitting up, he put a hand on his face, "what happened?"

"You were attacked." Jess said, "but you OK now."

"Oh, right," Remus said, "who did it?"

"We were hoping you would tell us that." Jess said, "but don't worry I'm sure they'll be caught soon enough."

"Ah, Mr. Lupin you are awake." Madame Pomfry said coming out of her office. "I think you can leave if you want."

"Thank you." Remus said.

"Just come to me if it starts to hurt." She said.

"Ok, thank you very much." Remus said, she didn't have to get changed he was already in his robes.

"Thanks for waiting for he." Remus said as he walked back with Jess.

"It's Ok, I didn't want you to be all alone when you woke up."

"Thanks." Remus said smiling slightly.

"Everyone's been really worried, James' went on a crusade to find the person who did it, but didn't get very far, and Sirius had a big fight with Laura." Jess said.

"Laura." he said as though in deep thought and he sighed. "What should I do, should I forgive her, or not?"

"I don't know, it's up to you." Jess said feeling deflated.

"The problem is I don't want to be her friend, I want more. I just can't get over her."

"She doesn't want to get back together, and there's no point in wasting your time wish for something that's not going to happen." Jess said, she knew exactly what she was talking about. Why was she still hoping that her and Remus could get back together, it wasn't going to happen.

"I know, I need to get over her." Remus said, "I mean she's not that good looking, you're probably prettier."

A smiled came up on Jess' face, "really?"

"Yeah." Remus said, "I've always thought that blonde's were bimbos."

Jess laughed a little, "you know she is my best friend."

"Sorry about that." Remus said smiling, "but thanks you've made me feel better."

"My pleasure." Jess said realising that they ere at the portrait hole already.

They clambered through into a deserted common room.

"Thanks again." Remus said and he gave Jess a small kiss on the cheek.

Her heart skipped a beat and a grin spread across her face.

"You're a great friend." He said and he left her.

Her smile faded, a great friend, she thought, that was probably all she was ever going to be.


	13. Pranks and Last Goodbyes

Soon it was Friday, the last day of term, and tomorrow they would be boarding the Hogwarts express and leaving the castle forever.

Normally people are happy when they leave school, they never have to wear uniform again, or go to lessons, or do their homework, but then again most people have never been to Hogwarts.

Everyone awoke to the smell of breakfast wafting through the corridors, and the sun blazing through their dormitory windows.

The Enchanted ceiling in the Great Hall was a brilliant blue colour with only a few white fluffy clouds littering it.

Everyone sat at the table eating their breakfast for the last time.

"I don't know what I'm going to do today." Emma said. "I only have one lesson."

"Why are you complaining?" Jess asked.

"Because if I have something to do then I won't think about the fact that I'm leaving tomorrow and not coming back, which means I won't cry." Emma said in one long breath.

"I can think of something you can do." Sirius said and he whispered in Emma's ear.

"Sirius!" She said in a high pitched squeal as she hit him lightly on the arm.

"Hey don't go running off today, we need to set up." James said.

"Set up for what?" Lily asked suspiciously.

"You'll see." James said tapping his nose.

"Please tell me." Lily said looking at James with puppy dog eyes and moving closer to him.

"No." James said, but you could tell for his voice that his will was slowly breaking.

"Please." Lily said moving even closer.

"Well.."

"No James, step away from Lily." Sirius said and he pulled his friend away.

"How do you do that?" Remus asked, "you could make him do anything."

"What can I say, it's a gift." She said smiling.

Jess sat in her dormitory, she had a free lesson, and she just felt like being alone. She had seen Remus down in the common room earlier, but didn't really feel much like talking. Every time she saw him she liked him more and more, but it was blatantly obvious that he didn't feel the same way.

She sat by the window looking over the sunlit grounds of the school and sighed, why was everything always so complicated for her. Normally when anyone else liked someone they would tell them, or get one of her friends to do it for her.

She had already tried one of those things, she had already told Remus how she felt, but they were both extremely drunk, he had still been going out with Laura, and she had to wipe his memory afterwards. She didn't even consider asking one of her friends to ask him, but then again she would never do that anyway as the person would probably end up asking them out instead of her.

She banged her head against the window, why was life never simple!

Maybe if she tried to focus on Remus' faults then she could just concentrate on them and she wouldn't like him as much.

She got up and went over to the mirror, if she was going to talk to Remus, no matter how much she didn't want to like him, she did and she didn't want to look like a dog in front of him.

She entered the common room and found Remus by the fire reading a book.

"Hey." She said sitting in one of the big squashy arm chairs.

"Oh, hi." he said closing his book and putting it down on the table.

Right one fault, he's always reading, she thought. But that isn't really a bad thing, he's just clever.

"How's the cut?" She asked looking at a slightly red patch on his cheek.

"Fine, getting much better," he said rubbing it slightly.

Another fault, if I ever did go out with him he'd go missing every month, and I'd be worried sick.

"So, how's things?" She asked, but so far rather then thinking of reasonable things that suggest she shouldn't like him, all she could think of was how gorgeous he looked.

"Not too bad, I'm finding it easier to be in the same room as Laura." He said smiling, "I think I'm finally getting over the whole still loving her thing."

"Really? You don't love her any more?" Jess asked hopefully.

"No, I still love her, and if she suggested we go back out together I say yea like a shot, but I'm beginning to realise that it is not going to happen and I need to move on." Remus said.

"Right." Jess said, "you know one good way of getting over someone it to start going out with someone else."

"Um." He said uncertainly, "but that would be unfair on the person I went out with. I'd be comparing them to Laura all the time, it just wouldn't be right."

He's so thoughtful and considerate, Jess thought.

"And plus I don't think there is anyone that would want to go out with me." Remus said.  
I do, I do, Jess was screaming in her head.

"Oh I don't know, you'd be surprised." Jess said, trying to drop subtle hints.

"Well I do like surprises." Remus said smiling and jess laughed slightly. "You know you always cheer me up."

Jess just smiled, why did people always see her as the funny girl, the one to cheer you up. The king of person you had a laugh with but never went out with.

Frustration flared up inside of Jess and she felt tears start to form in her eyes.

"I better go an pack my bag," she said and she hurried off.

Remus looked puzzled once again, why did she always ed up running off when ever they talked, was it something he said.

After lunch that day James, Sirius, Remus and Peter all disappeared to set up for their big prank.

"You know normally Lily you'd kill James if you knew he was planning something." Emma said.

"Yes have you gone soft?" Laura asked.

"No, I just think they should be able to have fun before they leave, after all they will never have the chance to do anything like this again." Lily said.

"Yeah that and you love James too much to fight with him." Jess said.

Lily didn't even both to try and deny it as it was true.

"You know you're going to have some good looking children." Laura said.

"Hopefully no any time soon though." Lily said looking a little horrified.

"Anywho, I wonder what they're planning." Emma said, "I don't think I ever seen them work this had since……. Well……….. I've never seen them work this hard."

"Well they always go over the top, so I doubt today will be no different." Laura said.

"Yeah but this time I hope it doesn't involve a hippogriff eating my hat." Lily said , and they all burst out laughing.

Soon it was time for the leaving feast and many seventh years were in tears when Dumbledore stood up for his end of term speech.

"Well another year has passed, and it hasn't been easy for anyone." Dumbledore said as he surveyed all the students, "We also say goodbye to one of the most memorable year group that we have had at Hogwarts," He looked straight at the Marauders when he said this, "and I'm sure that a certain group of boys will be making their mark." A few laughs went around the hall. "Goodbyes are always sad, but just think of the new exciting lives you will be leading now you are free of the restraints of school. But remember, everyone," He suddenly became very serious, "that dark times are upon us, and everyone should be extremely careful," scared muttering went around the hall. "But never worry, I'm sure given time we will find a solution."

Lily looked puzzled as she was sure that Dumbledore had just looked directly at Her and James when he said the last bit.

"Now let us enjoy one last feast together before we all depart for the summer." Dumbledore said and he sat down as the tables filled with food.

The feast started and everyone ate happily together for the last time.

Emma occasionally broke out into sobs as she thought of this as the last time she'd be sat in the Great Hall eating dinner.

"So when exactly is this magnificent last prank going to be taken place?2 Lily asked.

"You won't have to wait long my dear." James said.

"It's on a magical timer, and it should be going of any moment now." the words had hardly escaped Sirius' mouth when there was a loud bang that filled the hall.

Everyone stopped eating and looked for the source of the noise, then suddenly a massive number five appeared above the Slytherin table.

"What the…" Emma said as she watched the number slowing decreasing.

All the Slytherin's watched transfixed not able to move.

People joined I with the count down and when the number got to one everyone took a deep breath anticipating what was going to happen next.

Suddenly a mass of green goo fell from the ceiling above the Slytherin table, and covered everyone sitting at it.

The hall erupted into laughter as they Slytherin's sat there covered in slime, them another loud bang and masses and masses of white feathers fell from the same place as the green goo. They fluttered down a landed on the Slytherin's covering them and making them look like human chickens.

People were now rolling around on the floor laughing, even Dumbledore was smirking.

Then the words appeared above the tables " The Marauders Present Their Last Prank."

James, Sirius, Remus, and a reluctant Peter jumped up in their seats as the hall broke out in applause and bowed to their adoring public.

Lily rolled her eyes when they did this but couldn't help laughing at the grin that had spread over all their faces.

"You know, I hate to admit it, I' going to miss their pranks." Lily whispered to Emma.

Soon everyone stopped applauding and all the Slytherin's ran off to try and get all the goo and feathers off them.

"They don't know that it's stuck there permanently." James said they fell about laughing.

"Well for a week at least." Sirius added.

Someone banged open the doors to the Great Hall and stormed up to Professor Dumbledore, it was a Slytherin, probably in seventh year, it was hard to tell through the feathers.

The stood in front of Dumbledore and talked angrily to him, but Dumbledore was concentrating more on not laughing then what the person was saying.

"What's that all about?" Laura asked.

"Well it might have something to do with the twenty Nifflers we set loose in the Slytherin Common room." Sirius said innocently.

"You didn't." Lily said disbelievingly.

"Yep." Remus said proudly.

There was a few seconds silence and everyone burst out laughing again.

Late that night the girls sat on Lily's bed awake in their dormitory, no one wanted to sleep because if they did then tomorrow would come and they'd have to leave.

"God I have no idea what's going to happen when I'm back home," Jess said, "I don't know what I want to do, and I don't know what I can do until I get my NEWT results."

"You'll be fine, believe me." Lily said, "you've got us, we'll help you."

"Thanks." Jess said and she flopped down on the bed.

"Don't be so miserable." Emma said, "it's really not a good look."

Jess scowled at Emma.

"Cheer up." Emma said and she poked Jess in the stomach.

"Don't start that." Jess said.

"Then cheer up." Emma said.

"OK." Jess said and she sat up and smiled.

"Is it just me or does that look like a fake smile?" Emma asked Lily and Laura.

"Fake." Lily said.

"Defiantly." Laura said and they suddenly jumped on Jess tickling any part of her body they could find.

The next day came and everybody was packed and ready to leave, the put all their cases on the train and found an empty compartment.

Lily sat snuggled into James almost crying as she watched Hogwarts disappear into the distance as the train pulled out of the station.

"Don't be so sad." James said against Lily's head.

"But I can't help it." She said looking up at James, "ho can you not be sad?"

"Well," James said, "I am, but I know that the life I'll have now I've left will be so much better." He grinned at Lily and pulled her into a kiss.

Soon Hogwarts had disappeared and the train journeyed onto London where they all got off and crossed through the barrier.

All their parents were standing together talking when they arrived.

"I don't want to leave you." Lily said holding onto James, "promise I'll see you soon."

"I wouldn't have it any other way." James said and they kissed again.

Lily pulled out of the kiss first, and James stayed wanting more. She grinned cheekily, "don't go forgetting me."

"How could I." James said.

"Break it up you two." Mrs. Potter said, "Oh Lily, please do come round for dinner one night, so we can get to know you properly."

"Sure," Lily said.

"Good good," Mrs. Potter said. "Now hurry up."

They said their final goodbyes to each other, although they knew that this wasn't the last time they'd see each other.

"Watch out world." Sirius said as they left the station, "were coming."

This story is finished! I know it's really short but I thought that this was a good place to leave it, and adding something else might ruin it!  
Any way I have ideads for a sequel and I'm hoping to start that soon! 


	14. Authors Note

This us just a quick note from me saying a few things I left out in my A/N at the end of the last chapter.  
Thanks for reading my story and reviwing it. lease read the sequel which I haven't posted yet but hopefully will do very soon, but it doesn't haev a title so if you have any suggestions then please do tell me.  
I doubt the sequel will be up before Christmas but you never know. If anyone has suggestions for what you think should hapen tell me and I can maybe, if they are good, include them.

That's it.  
Thanks again. 


	15. Another Note

This is just a quick note to say that the sequel of thi story is now posted, it's called the End of a Beautiful Thing.  
Please check it out and tell me what you think, and I'm still open to ideas so if you have one please tell me!

Double Decker 


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